JAIL IMPROVEMENTS

The current jail opened in 1984, and was considered at the time to be progressive and innovative.The jail is a twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week facility. After thirty eight years of constant use the jail's physical well being is showing its age in many ways, and can no longer operate in the manner it was intended. Males and females can no longer co-mingle, and inmates with mental illness should be separated from other inmates. The current jail configuration does not allow for any of this to safely occur. Our jail needs to be updated so our friends and family are safely incarcerated, and deputies can work in a safer environment.

So before we even talk about a new or renovated jail, we have to address the facts:

• We can no longer have males and females co-mingling in the jail
• Inmates with mental illness need to be separated from other inmates
• Deputy safety is a priority

I’d like to be clear on an earlier comment where it was reported I said we need a “new” jail. At this time I am part of a working group that consists of  the County Manager, County Commissioners and others who are exploring future options. We have enlisted the help of two well respected consulting firms, Justice Planners and Wold Architects, to help us determine what works and what doesn’t in our current facility. My hope is through the work of these consultants and community conversations that we can all agree what the best path forward is. If remodeling the current footprint is the recommendation of the consultants and Commissioners, I’m all for it. We as a group  are not committed to relocating or razing and rebuilding the jail in the same or another location. I am committed to following what the community needs and the recommendations of experts. The exploration is just beginning and the process will take years, and the community's voice will be included in the conversations. So let me be perfectly clear and dispel the misinformation that is out there: the size, cost, location and scope of the jail has not been decided or discussed at length, these decisions are quite a ways down the road. Any information to the contrary is purely speculation and without facts.

My vision is to create a facility that adds separate space for pre-trial vs. convicted inmates, to establish space to help those with mental health and addiction issues, and to provide a jail that is secure and safe for both inmates and deputies. I am and will always be committed to the continued tradition of a progressive jail and explore new ideas that will lead to better inmate services and lower the rate of recidivism.