JAIL: There's more to the story
You read in Saturday’s CDA Press an opinion of Kootenai County’s jail status… as “full but needn’t be.”
An opinion is just that. Now here are the facts or the rest of the story.
The jail is full. On May 10, 2010, 368 total inmates in custody. Kootenai County Jail is certified for 325. On that date there were 323 housed in the main jail, 12 in work release center and 33 housed off site in Nez Perce and Shoshone Counties. PLUS Kootenai County has (as the end of first quarter (January, February, March)145 out on probation, 210 in first appearance process. Community Labor Program (those charged and agreeing to work hours in community service) is 427.
Kootenai County tracking record of Adult Misdemeanor SCRAM BRACELET program, 2009 we had 89.09 percent of the persons monitored completed the program with no usage of drugs or alchohol, the non-compliant percentage was 7.2 percent. (Typically includes offenders who try to “beat the system” early on, then they realize they cannot defeat technology and comply.)
The commissioners prudently came into the Adult Misdemeanor Grant on a “first year prove it” process before they continued to file for the grant. They were pleased with the results and continued to encourage the writing of the grant as each year came around and currently as the program proved it to be a good system, the county now finances the program.
The SCRAM BRACELET program of tracking probationers is a grant which is now in process and next year, should it become available, the county will make application for and/or decide to continuing financing it.
We have two probation officers supervising 147 probationers charged in court and released to this program. At any given time this number can vary (some on probation have not bonded out). The officers are using the SCRAM bracelet in tracking the offender.
The Adult Probation department has been reorganized for efficiency, but the services and process is the same. We have an excellent staff and they are making strides in improving the interview of prisoners process by currently setting up a video system to make the interview process every morning in order to e-mail the judges with all of the information on those coming before a judge in the First Appearance. The judges and the commissioners want to continue with the Adult Misdemeanor Pre-Trial Services and have always been supportive of the program, particularly as it continued to keep the a portion of the jail population in programs but not in the jail.
THE PROGRAM IS TO ASSIST PERSONS IN TURNING THEIR LIFE AROUND…AND THAT IS A GOOD THING. HOWEVER, THE JAIL IS STILL OVERCROWDED WITH PERSONS WHO NEED TO BE IN JAIL.
COLLEEN ALLISON
Grant writer, Kootenai County