Upgrading Jail Saves Dollars, Makes Sense

The current Kootenai County Jail was completed in 1987 to accommodate 88 inmates. Through utilization of office storage and other non-living space, it was expanded to accommodate 127.

This expansion has caused overcrowding in remaining work spaces and moved inmates into areas that require more staff time to supervise. The average daily inmate population in 1998 was 164.7. In 1999 (through March 31), it has averaged 186.9 - March 1999 being the highest on record at 192.1. The daily count has been as high as 219.

The remodeled and expanded jail is designed to house a total of 385 inmates and will have space available for programs designed to reduce recidivism, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, a chaplain’s program and high school GED.

While the jail population has been increasing, Kootenai County still incarcerates fewer people per population than the national or Idaho state average (U.S. 178, Idaho 135 and Kootenai County 114, inmates per 100,000 population in 1993 - latest figures available).

To accommodate this overcrowding, the jail is currently putting three inmates in a 65- to 70-square-foot cell (which includes the toilet) designed for one inmate. The jail lost its accreditation through the Idaho Sheriff’s Association Jail Standards Committee in 1993, due to severe overcrowding.

The population in Kootenai County was 35,332 in 1970. It now is in excess of 100,000 and the projected population in 2015 is 160,893. The overcrowding clearly will continue to get worse.

Some facts on the people in jail: On a typical day, almost 85 percent of inmates had prior arrests, averaging nine per repeat offender. About 15 percent had traffic-related charges. Only and about 9 percent had only drug-related charges. Typically, 64 percent had one or more felony charges and another 6 percent had multiple misdemeanor criminal charges.

OK, so we need a new jail!

How will the proposed temporary increase in sales tax save taxpayers money? Operational expenses, liability and risks of assault and injuries increase disproportionately due to overcrowding. Overcrowding likely will cause court intervention, as it did with the last facility. The court mandated a cap on the number of prisoners the old jail could hold; the remainder had to be transported to other counties at significant expense.

The sheriff is planning to house prisoners in other counties to relieve overcrowding, to the tune of over $12 million in just 11 years. That would be more than the cost of remodeling and expanding the jail, which is projected to last at least 15 years.

The bottom line is that taxpayers are going to pay to resolve the overcrowding dilemma one way or another. The only question is, what is the least expensive alternative.

If we do nothing and vote down the temporary sales tax increase, we’ll still have to transport inmates to other facilities, pay for costly litigation and pay excessive operating expenses due to overcrowding. This will cost more than remodeling and expanding the current jail, which also will reduce operating expenses because of its efficient design.

As for the method of financing - that’s a no-brainer. It’s estimated that 25 to 35 percent of money raised from the temporary sales tax increase will be from nonresidents. Any other viable alternatives would be borne entirely by residents. The least expensive alternative to jail overcrowding for Kootenai County residents is to vote for the temporary sales tax increase on May 25.

There is no time to wait. When the vote passes, it will take three years before the remodeled and expanded facility will be completed.