Believes jail plan inadequate

When we decided to renovate our house, we neglected to put enough emphasis on our budget. Instead we started into our wish list, and spending bloated and our belts got tight — embarrassing.

I saw a similar situation going on with jail planning here in Whatcom. I didn’t vote for the jail tax. But my reasoning was not because I don’t think we need a new jail — we need a new jail. And I would vote for a jail tax, without reservation, if the following were part of the jail plan: if a thorough needs assessment were completed, if the Lummi Nation, city councils and County Council were part of the plan and policy making process for the new jail, and if the following program elements were part of the jail plan: a) mental health triage center, b) service providers and social workers helping offenders work through the system, c) substance abuse program. We can save a lot of money by diverting people who don’t really need to be in jail, and spend less on construction and operation in the long run. I believe that if we really do our homework this time, we can get much closer, perhaps spot-on, to what is needed for our new jail.

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Believes jail plan inadequate."