NEW JUSTICE CENTER JUST A START

The tornado damage to the venerable Johnson County Courthouse did
harm to a historic Iowa City structure but also added another reason
for pursuing the proposed "justice center," which would incorporate a
new courthouse and jail. While the courthouse should be restored and
we support building a new facility, more creative options need to
also be explored to solve the county's law-enforcement problem.
Instead of hauling all offenders off to jail without regard for their
crimes, Johnson County officials should seek more appropriate solutions.

There can be no question the current court and jail facilities are
inadequate. The 92-bed jail is not large enough to house all its
prisoners; our county has been forced to ship extra inmates to other
facilities, such as Linn County jail, paying $65 per head. For its
part, the courthouse is too old to accommodate critical security
measures, including metal detectors. Someone with a knife or gun
could easily evade security in the current courthouse. A new, modern
courthouse and a sustainable long-term solution to the prison
population problem are critical to the safety and effectiveness of
Johnson County law enforcement.

In their zeal to avoid appearing "soft on crime," many opposed to new
facilities deny overcrowding is a serious problem. But not only are
packed jails less than ideal for the inmates, they create a dangerous
situation for the employees. Prisoners who are packed in like
sardines are more difficult to safely manage. By resisting funding
for prisons, opponents aren't being tough on criminals - they're
being tough on law-enforcement workers.

But officials do not only need a new facility - they need new ideas:
The county's sentencing priorities should be reworked. Instead of
being thrown in with the general prison populace, people picked up
for public intoxication should be put in a detox center. They could
be monitored and, if necessary, treated by trained staff while they
sleep it off. By taking a less punitive attitude toward these
nonviolent offenders, the county will actually be putting less stress
on the prison system.

In 2000, residents rejected a bond issue for a new jail, and the
problem has only worsened since. This shortsightedness is false
economy: Investing in a new justice center now will end the need to
rent Linn County's jail space and curtail law-enforcement costs that
are spiraling out of control.

Capt. Gary Foster, the chief deputy for Story County - home of Iowa
State University and Ames - told The Daily Iowan that he "can't
imagine" law enforcement running a detox center for intoxicated
people. So far, Johnson County has displayed a similar lack of
creative vision. Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek has proposed many sensible
alternatives for sentencing of drug and alcohol offenses - only to
have them shot down. Johnson County should be investing in a new
justice center, but, more importantly, it should be investing in a
new kind of thinking about criminal justice.