Private Funds Could Build Jail

A new jail could be built at no expense to Kootenai County, according to a preliminary discussion on Wednesday between county officials and a jail development company. Under a proposal rolled out by Rocky Mountain Corrections, a new jail located somewhere in the county would be funded by private investors, who would then lease the facility to the county. “It wouldn’t be a private jail,” said J. Walt Femling, president of the Ketchum-based RMC. “It would be built privately, and still run by the county.” The county commissioners and sheriff’s department staff said they still must discuss legal and financial details. Officials hoped the project could be a cost-effective solution to the overcrowding at the county’s 26-year-old jail on Government Way/ Alecia Warren , Coeur d’Alene Press. More here. (SR file photo of Kootenai County Jail inmates playing cards)

Question: Do you think this public-private jail arrangement is worth pursuing?