JAIL: Rely on inmate labor

Jerry Shriner brought the situation of inadequate jail facilities in Kootenai County to the attention of the public. Thank you Jerry, your article is good food for thought. Our public officials need to know what the public expects of them, and it’s not an end run around the will of the voters.

The debate is about whether or not to privatize county inmate facilities or to spend the money for new buildings. Considering the poor record and the failure of private prisons on the state level, I think it would be a bad idea to try it on the county level. A bad idea is not one to repeat.

There are various options open to our community for inmate housing and security. We do not have to copy everyone else. We’ve seen the futility of that idea repeatedly in the land use fiascoes. We do not have to conform to established practices — except where law requires. If there’s one thing North Idahoans are good at, it’s innovation. Let’s seek a novel and innovative approach to this problem. Let’s not play follow the leader. Let’s BE a leader.

There is one state that is even more innovative than Idaho. That’s Arizona. They used inmate labor to help build prisons — and it worked. There is no good reason why we could not do the same for a jail. This idea has several benefits:

It would save money and cause lower contractor bids.

It would keep inmates occupied. Many are in jail because they had nothing constructive to do. They had no regular job or occupation. As a former Corrections Officer, I know that many get in trouble with the law just because they are bored.

It would provide on-the-job-training for inmates and prepare them for an occupation when they are released.

And, most importantly, the citizenry would feel good about inmates earning their keep instead of being a dead weight. They might even approve a bond if they knew that inmate labor would decrease the cost of building the new facility.

So, what’s it to be Commissioners? Will you keep on trying to solve the problem by just throwing taxpayer money at it? Or will you use the brains God gave you to do the best job possible for those who elected you? I think you know what the public wants.

ED TORRENCE

Coeur d’Alene