JAIL SOLUTIONS

The article "Tennessee Jails Packed, Perilous" is alarming. The article did
a good job of identifying the overcrowding in the county jails in Northeast
Tennessee. Indeed, it is alarming when the rate of increase in jail inmates
is greater than the increase in students attending our schools.

Building new regional jails was the only solution offered. What are the
alternative solutions? Why is the jail population increasing at this
alarming rate? Is our society becoming more evil, or have too many new laws
been implemented that require incarceration? What has been the increase in
non-violent to violent offenders in our jails? What three violations
account for the majority of the increase in the jail population? What can
be done to reduce the increase in these three categories? These questions
and more need to be answered before a logical solution can be proposed.

Why do we jail non-violent offenders? How many of these could be restricted
to quarters to accomplish the same thing? Further, why doesn't the court
partner with civic organizations and churches to offer constructive
community service as an alternative to placing them in jail with the
violent offenders?

Imagine the constructive benefit a non-violent lawbreaker could experience
by working with Habitat for Humanity in building a new home for a needy
family. Instead of locking them up with violent lawbreakers, this approach
would put them in daily contact with community volunteers who are freely
offering their services to make life better. Obviously, there are many
additional civic programs in which the non-violent lawbreaker could work
hand-in-hand with volunteers to make our community a better place to live.

The headline was alarming. But I believe a thorough analysis of the problem
will reveal alternative solutions that will reduce the overcrowding in our
county jails.

Wayne Case

Kingsport