Geiger to get more inmates

More criminals soon will be calling Geiger Corrections Center home under a plan that’s even cheaper than earlier proposals calling for a fenced tent city.

Geiger Director Leon Long told Spokane County commissioners Tuesday he can house an additional 150 inmates for a little more than $80,000 for the remainder of the year, and can get everything up and running in just six weeks. Commissioners enthusiastically embraced the idea.

They want the extra beds so the county can incarcerate the many misdemeanant criminals who currently avoid jail time because of a lack of space. Misdemeanors involve mostly minor offenses often referred to as petty crimes.

Long’s plan to move a few lockers and set up a new dormitory at Geiger was the clear victor compared to Sheriff Mark Sterk’s preliminary proposal for a tent camp in a parking lot outside the Spokane County Jail near the courthouse.

The Geiger plan calls for purchasing only beds, footlockers and clothing at a cost of about $47,000. Long said he will need to hire only two additional part-time corrections officers. A full year’s operating costs would be $62,000.

Sterk, who was asked by commissioners to explore the tent option, said it would house just 90 prisoners, take at least two years to erect, require 20 new corrections officers and cost at least $1 million a year to operate.

“A tent city is staff-intensive because you’re not holding people with walls. You’re holding people with people,” Sterk said.

One example of a tent jail complication would be making sure that inmates’ friends and family don’t throw drugs or other contraband over the fences, he said.

“The timeline of 2007 is unacceptable. It does nothing to help us now,” said Commissioner Phil Harris of the tent city plan, adding that Sterk has been opposed to the idea from the start.

Sterk agreed. He said that adding beds at Geiger is the best plan.

“It just doesn’t make sense to me to put this in the middle of our city,” he said.

Commissioners had asked both men to investigate ways to add beds.

Jail Commander Jerry Brady said there will be no problem filling the beds since there are 44,000 outstanding misdemeanor warrants that could be served with the additional space.

Long’s request for another $115,000 to add commercial laundry equipment, an automated fingerprinting system and improve a security system was also granted.

In other incarceration-related business, commissioners approved eight new Spokane County Jail positions at a cost of about $500,000 a year. They will include a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, a lieutenant and five corrections officers.

It’s only a quarter of the additional staff Sterk requested two weeks ago, but he said he’ll take what he can get.

He said any additional staff will help bring in more misdemeanants and thus reduce Spokane County crime.