Jail still stressed

While letter writers have correctly noted that our jail inmate population has declined recently, the reduction hasn’t been significant enough to negate the fact that the jail remains overcrowded, as it has since 1996. That means extensive use of Geiger Corrections Center, which was never designed to be a jail. Geiger is an old World War II Army barracks that has a long list of safety and security issues and must be replaced.

The basic principle behind the jail plan is to address a public safety issue. It’s about building the right size jail system that is designed to work efficiently with us, not against us. It’s about always having a bed available when someone needs to go to jail. It’s about having a community corrections center that provides programs for offenders to be successful, productive citizens in the community so they don’t keep coming back to jail. And getting those things right requires us to pore through the data, tap into the experts and listen to the public’s concerns and ideas.

The most important aspect of the jail upgrading project is to create a cost-efficient, comprehensive approach to criminal justice. Not just for the moment, but for the next 25 years.

Capt. John McGrath

Detention services commander

Spokane County Sheriff’s Office