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Spokane County hosting two more public forums on jail facilities

Spokane County’s criminal justice administrator, Maggie Yates, speaks Tuesday, May 21, 2019, during a public forum on the future of the county’s jail facilities at Spokane’s Northeast Community Center. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com(509) 459-5047

Spokane County officials plan to host two additional public forums to gather feedback as talks continue about the size of the county’s jail facilities.

The Vera Institute of Justice, a New York-based nonprofit, and Maggie Yates, the county’s criminal justice administrator, will host the two-hour informational sessions.

The first session will be July 31 at Madison Elementary School, 319 W. Nebraska Ave., and the second session will take place Aug. 1 at Hamblen Elementary School, 2121 E. Thurston Ave. Both will begin at 5:30 p.m.

The county held two similar forums in May at Spokane Valley City Hall and Spokane’s Northeast Community Center.

Some local officials have mulled whether the county needs additional jail space, while others argue jail crowding should be alleviated by curbing or eliminating the use of cash bail to keep people incarcerated before trial.