JAILS ARE THE NEW GROWTH INDUSTRY

The cost of keeping people in jail adds up. Consider: The Buncombe County
Jail, which opened 10 years ago cost taxpayers about $14 million to build.
The budget approved by the county Board of Commissioners includes $4.5
million to open and operate a new addition to the jail, scheduled to be
completed in February.

The jail and jail annex are designed to hold 356 people. The new
addition will increase capacity by 248 beds. That totals 604 beds and
should be sufficient for about a year to a year and a half after the
addition is completed, said Bill Stafford, county construction project
director and former jail administrator. That means another addition
will be needed before long.

The average daily inmate population in Buncombe County rose from 294
in 2001 to 442 in 2005, a 50 percent increase. Female prisoners
contributed much of the growth.

Until the addition is completed, Buncombe must make arrangements with
nearby counties to house prisoners for whom it has no room. The cost
to Buncombe County taxpayers: $40 per day per inmate.

Factors contributing to the inmate explosion include population
growth, more drug trafficking arrests, more defendants who are
financially unable to post bond and more people in jail for violating
domestic violence protection orders, according to District Attorney
Ron Moore.

Population growth is inevitable, and we're all for stricter laws and
aggressive enforcement when it comes to drug trafficking and domestic
violence.

But something's wrong with this picture. Far too many people are
ending up in county jails. And it isn't just Buncombe County. Local
jails nationwide held 747,529 prisoners, up from 621,149 five years
earlier, according to Bureau of Justice statistics. Since 1995, the
nation's jail population on a per capita basis climbed 31 percent.

What's wrong begins long before the overcrowded court system finds
itself dealing with drug dealers and prostitutes and vicious spouses.

It starts with young people who grow up without learning the skills
they need to earn a living, to manage their finances, to resolve
conflict peacefully, to find gratification in their accomplishments
and service to others. In some cases, it starts with young people who
suffer from undiagnosed mental or emotional problems.

The number appears to be increasing, not only numerically but as a
percentage of the population, as well. The overcrowded jail is just a
symptom of a larger problem, and it's one that should cause us and our
leaders to do some soul-searching.

Would it not be better from almost every point of view to spend more
money identifying youngsters who are in need of serious help and
providing that help than to wait for them to grow into mal-adjusted
adults who will cost society far more in the long run?