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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Overcrowded Jail Has Become Norm Average Inmate Population 58 Beyond Capacity Of 519

There were more inmates crammed into the Spokane County Jail last year than ever before, a fact that has Sheriff John Goldman looking for ways to relieve the pressure.

The daily population at the jail averaged 577 inmates in 1995, according to figures recently released by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

That’s 58 inmates over the jail’s maximum daily capacity of 519. In 1994, the jail averaged about 516 inmates per day.

There were some days in 1995 when the population swelled to almost 700 inmates, said Goldman, whose duties include overseeing the jail.

The rise reflected a statewide trend. According to the WASPC, there was a shortage of 1,100 jail beds across Washington in 1995, up from 616 the year before.

The added prisoners in Spokane put a strain on staff as well as the jail itself, Goldman said.

It’s harder for correctional officers to supervise and control larger populations.

Crowded conditions lead to more fights among inmates and more prisoner assaults on guards, the sheriff said.

Unwatched inmates also tend to cause trouble. Last month, a prisoner being held on the jail’s sixth floor plugged his toilet and began flushing. The ensuing flood caused a chain reaction that damaged equipment on five floors. It may be fall before the damage is repaired.

Goldman blamed the swelling jail population on several factors: More crime.

According to figures compiled by the FBI, major crimes such as murder, rape and assault were up 2 percent in Spokane last year compared to 1994. Car thefts and other property crimes rose more sharply.

More cases going to trial.

The prosecuting attorney’s office expects to take nearly 160 felony cases to trial this year, up from about 120 in 1994, according to figures from Spokane County Superior Court.

More hardened criminals.

More than 1,500 convicted felons - including nine murderers, 50 sex offenders and 49 people convicted of robbery - spent time in the jail in 1995 before and after their trials, according to the WASPC.

That’s up from 1,266 the year before.

“All this points to an unmistakable trend - crime is increasing and so is the use of the jail,” Goldman said.

A 10th-of-a-penny sales tax increase recently approved by county voters will provide money for 50 more bunks at the jail but no new cells, the sheriff said.

Goldman said he is working with other members on the Law and Justice Council, a local criminal-justice advisory group, to find other solutions.

The group is looking at ways to speed up the trial process so inmates don’t have to be held so long before their day in court.

Superior Court Judge Michael Donohue said the best way to do that is to add at least one more judge.

Court is where the slowdown is occurring, Donohue said. There are currently only 10 judges assigned to hear felony cases in the county.

“The word ‘bottleneck’ comes to mind,” he said. “The arrests are going way up. The trials are going way up. The problem is we don’t have enough judges, enough courtrooms, enough staff to keep up with it.”

Donohue said the judges are more than willing to work with Goldman and the Law and Justice Council to come up with “other creative solutions” to help ease jail crowding.

Council members also are considering alternative sentences, like community service, for low-risk, non-violent offenders.

Another option Goldman likes is building a criminal-justice satellite building in the Spokane Valley.

Such a facility could contain additional jail cells, branch offices for deputies and prosecutors, and space for other county departments, he said.

It would provide Valley residents with better access to county government and ease traffic congestion on Interstate 90 and in the downtown core, Goldman said.

“If we’re not there now, we’re certainly moving in that direction,” he said.

County commissioners ultimately would have to approve such a plan and find a way to pay for it.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Overcrowded

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FULL HOUSE Last year was the first time the average daily population in the Spokane County Jail exceeded its 519-inmate capacity. Capacity is based on a square-footage formula, and doesn’t mean the jail has only 519 beds. On a few especially crowded days, however, overflow inmates were forced to sleep on floors or desks until cells could be cleared out. In some Washington counties, inmates sleeping on floors or in hallways is the norm. The average daily population at the Pierce County Jail in 1995 was 50 percent more than that building was designed to hold, and the King County Jail operated nearly 700 inmates over its capacity each day.

This sidebar appeared with the story: FULL HOUSE Last year was the first time the average daily population in the Spokane County Jail exceeded its 519-inmate capacity. Capacity is based on a square-footage formula, and doesn’t mean the jail has only 519 beds. On a few especially crowded days, however, overflow inmates were forced to sleep on floors or desks until cells could be cleared out. In some Washington counties, inmates sleeping on floors or in hallways is the norm. The average daily population at the Pierce County Jail in 1995 was 50 percent more than that building was designed to hold, and the King County Jail operated nearly 700 inmates over its capacity each day.