County may move jail, courts

After serving for more than a century as the hub for the criminal justice system, the Spokane County Courthouse could face a future without courts.

That same future could cost close to half a billion dollars.

County leaders are considering the idea of moving jail operations and courts to a new criminal justice center near the Spokane International Airport.

The concept has emerged as part of the effort to create new jail space. County commissioners say they likely will ask voters in the next couple of years to help fund a jail addition at a cost of about $80 million, or a new complex at a cost of $450 million.

Complex supporters say a criminal justice campus would improve security and create more efficiency.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to take care of the whole system,” said Jail Lt. Mike Rohrscheib.

County officials have been meeting for more than a year in a group called the Jail Expansion Team to examine options for solving what jail officials describe as a jail space crisis. They met with county commissioners Thursday morning to consider hiring a consultant to help in the effort.

Expansion team discussions have included moving District Court, the jail and other criminal justice elements, including the prosecutor’s, public defender’s and sheriff’s offices, to a single campus. Those operations are housed in the Public Safety Building and other nearby structures.

Commissioner Phil Harris said a criminal justice complex should also include courts and offices that are located in the courthouse, including Superior Court and the assessor’s and auditor’s offices.

“Anything we do short of a complete facility is patchwork,” Harris said. “We’ve got to build a modern facility that will take us into the future.”

Commissioner Todd Mielke said he likes the idea of creating a complex. However, the cost may cause the project to be built in phases, he said. He added that county offices not related to criminal justice probably should stay put.

“Until I see the funding options and the total cost, I’m a bit skeptical that you can do it in one fell swoop,” Mielke said.

Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor questions moving the entire Superior Court from the courthouse. That’s because it handles civil cases, real estate and other matters that have no connection to the jail. Folks handling that business shouldn’t be inconvenienced with an extra drive to a jail that likely won’t be centrally located, she said.

“There are so many things we do for the community besides criminal (work) that it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to follow the criminals,” O’Connor said.

The cheapest option – about $80 million – considered by the expansion team is to expand the jail on its north side. Another possibility is constructing a new jail building offsite while maintaining the current jail and court spaces, said jail Lt. Michael Sparber.

In addition to new buildings, the expansion group also is examining alternatives to incarceration, such as home monitoring and enlarging the day-reporting system, Mielke said.

Today’s jail opened in 1986 with a 483-bed capacity at a cost of $22.5 million. It has since been retrofitted to hold 675 inmates. On Monday, the jail’s population was 709, jail Commander Jerry Brady said.

Jail officials have argued that the jail wasn’t built to handle today’s population, causing the need for extra staffing and safety concerns for inmates and guards.

Increasing numbers have meant more people who require extra oversight or special needs, including inmates with mental disabilities, suicidal prisoners and sex offenders, Sparber said.

It will take four to five years after voter approval to open a new jail, Brady said.

Commissioners say all options are on the table, but before they go to voters they will have a specific plan with a concrete price tag. They also say they will be searching for federal and state grants to defer some of the costs from local taxpayers.

If jail plans move forward, voters will be asked to tax themselves for jail space in the wake of other proposed public works projects that would require substantial taxes or fees.

The county is hoping to build a $100 million sewage treatment plant that will be funded by county sewer customers. The Spokane Transit Authority is considering asking residents for new taxes to pay for a light-rail system.

As for the courthouse, which opened in 1893:

“It could be a museum. There are a lot of other things it could be used for,” Harris said.