Mccaslin Opposes Inmate Halfway House

Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin is trying to rally opposition to the federal government’s plan to operate a halfway house for prison inmates in the Valley.

The federal Bureau of Prisons wants to convert a former office building in the 12000 block of East Main Avenue into a 22-bed facility for federal inmates nearing the end of their prison sentences.

Federal officials hope that inmates living in the home would have an easier time making the transition back into normal society once their sentences expire.

Nearby residents are opposed to the facility, saying its proximity to places frequented by children is a recipe for trouble.

The facility would be directly across the street from a county library branch and only a few blocks from North Pines Junior High School.

McCaslin also thinks the location is dubious. “The concept of it is probably a good one,” she said. “What’s not OK is where they want to put it. I think it should be in a business district if anywhere.”

Commissioner Phil Harris agreed that the proposed location was bad, saying such a facility should be located at county-run Geiger Corrections Center on the West Plains.

“If we’ve got to have it in this county, Geiger is the perfect place for it,” Harris said.

McCaslin said Tuesday she has contacted U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt’s office for help in fighting the facility.

Nethercutt is trying to cut off funding for the project at the federal level, McCaslin said.

County officials also are trying to determine if they can use local zoning codes to stop the halfway house, a tactic that has failed in other instances.

McCaslin also encouraged citizens to write letters of opposition to Donald Comer at the federal Bureau of Prisons’ contracting office, 320 First Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20534.

“We need to say, `no way, no how,”’ she said.