SNOHOMISH COUNTY NEEDS A NEW JAIL FOR THE FUTURE

Jails are an unsightly addition to a community. But they're a necessity and
a reality. Snohomish County needs another one.

This shouldn't come as a surprise. The county has been trying for several
years to place a new jail somewhere in the area. A more concentrated effort
just started and it includes an ambitious 18-month deadline to find a home
for a new jail.

The current county jail in Everett is over capacity and new inmates are
ready to enter. When the jail was built 13 years ago, it was designed for
277 people. A few years ago the county raised the capacity to 477. But now
there are 511 inmates.

There are many reasons why more people are finding themselves in jail.
Snohomish County is the fastest growing county in the state. With more
people come more crime. And almost every law enforcement jurisdiction has
added officers - more cops to catch more people. Drugs are also a big
contributing factor in Snohomish County and the rest of the nation.

Sheriff Rick Bart says 80 percent of crime in the county is directly
related to drugs and .alcohol. Voters have repeatedly said they want stiff
sentences attached to drug crimes. That means more people in jail.
Nationally, the New York Times reports that every 20 seconds someone is
arrested for a drug violation.

But that tough-on-drugs policy may be beginning to back-fire.

For the first time, the state Legislature is looking at ways of easing up
on the number of drug offenders sent to jail. A bill that is successful so
far in Olympia would give judges flexibility in handing down sentences.
Judges could order home detention with monitoring, and drug and alcohol
counseling.

Snohomish County Corrections Director Andrea Bynum would like to give
judges the option of offering package deals that include secure at-home
monitoring and chemical dependency programs. The county recently improved
its home detention system and is giving demonstrations to judges.

Even with these sentencing improvements, Snohomish County still needs a new
jail. The county is exploring building a regional justice center that
includes a jail, a sheriff 's precinct, a prosecutor's office, a clerk's
office and space for public meetings. This time, the county ought to do a
better job than in the past of including the public through the whole
process of determining a jail site.

As Snohomish County residents struggle with the
not-in-my-backyard-syndrome, the rest of the country can relate. Reports
show that the U.S. will have to build a new 1,000 bed jail or prison every
week for the next 10 years to keep up with the national incarceration demand.

The U.S. is going to have to examine its drug policies, which look to be a
large contributor to the increase in the prison population. Until these
drug-addicted criminals are rehabilitated, taxpayers are going to keep
shelling out the money to build prisons. It starts with the kids and the
first-time juvenile offenders. Every possible dollar and preventive service
ought to be spent to keep a youth from committing his or her second crime.
Only then can society stop building jails and start enjoying a generation
that doesn't carry an expensive rap sheet and isn't hooked on drugs.