REGIONAL JAIL MAY NOT BE ANSWER TO OVERCROWDING

Jail overcrowding has been simmering for a while in Outagamie,
Winnebago and Calumet counties.

Soon, officials from the three counties will launch a study on the
feasibility of building a regional jail. A special committee will
assess surrounding counties and their jail needs, along with
analyzing the cost of building a regional facility.

Already we know that Outagamie County's 550-bed jail is nearing
capacity, Winnebago County is projecting a full jail in the next
three to four years, and Calumet is currently housing inmates in
other counties because its jail is overcrowded. It's clear something
needs to be done.

But is building another prison really the answer?

Creating drug courts and rehabilitation centers are alternatives that
may end up saving money and result in less violent criminals in the
long run.

Increased drug offenses explain part of the swelling in prisons
throughout the country. According to the U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Statistics, 2.2 million prisoners were housed in federal,
state and local jails at the end of 2006. These numbers represent an
average annual growth of 3.4 percent since 1995.

Violent crime made up about half of the sentences --and those
prisoners need to be incarcerated. But the ones who are arrested for
minor drug possession could go through a drug court, such as the one
that opened in Winnebago County in 2006.

Intended for non-violent drug offenders, the emphasis is on
rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Drug courts have proven to reduce incarceration rates and address
crimes such as burglary that are often tied to drugs and treat
offenders before they reach violent levels.

While they may attempt to rehabilitate prisoners, jails often release
inmates with more violent tendencies than they came in with.

Maybe building another jail is inevitable. Still, we hope that when
county officials delve into the jail feasibility study, they also
will look at alternatives to a new jail to fix the overcrowding problem.