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

Jail, Aclu Agree On Overcrowding Bonneville County Will Limit Population Of Inmates To 66

Associated Press

For five years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been watching conditions in the Bonneville County Jail, threatening to sue if overcrowding didn’t improve.

The ACLU said it reached agreement with county officials on Thursday and doesn’t plan to sue.

Attorney Stephen Pevar said under the settlement the jail’s capacity will be capped at 66 inmates after April 1, until a new jail is opened in 1998. Construction hasn’t started yet.

Jail capacity was capped at 49 prisoners in 1993 after the ACLU threatened to sue, but tight budgets have forced the county to disregard the cap for about four months.

County officials say Bonneville County hasn’t had the money to ship all the inmates that exceed that cap to surrounding county jails. The jail population averages 60-70 inmates a day.

But with the higher cap, the county should be able to squeeze enough money out of the sheriff’s training and vehicle maintenance budget to send inmates to other jails, said Sheriff Byron Stommel.

Stommel doesn’t know the cost. Bonneville County already has 10-15 prisoners housed in surrounding jails. The cost averages $40-$50 per inmate, per day, depending on deals negotiated with other counties, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Wilde.

Pevar said overcrowding was his major concern, but there were other problems. Since his last jail visit in December, the sheriff’s department has been negotiating.

“The beauty of the agreement is that it will be quite detailed,” Pevar said. It should be in writing in a couple of weeks.

Terms call for minor jail remodeling, improved lighting and a study of the ventilation system. There is also some concern about cleanliness and that inmates’ medical complaints fall through the cracks, Pevar said.