County Aims To Cut Jail Numbers By Redirecting Offenders

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By Seattle Times

Published: 03/22/2002

Saying low-risk offenders don't need to be jailed, King County Executive Ron Sims announced a pilot program yesterday to reduce the number of inmates held in county jails in Seattle and Kent.
Sims said the effort is essential for the county to cope with increasing budget demands. The county is expected to be $50 million short of the revenue needed next year to offer present services.
The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention is the biggest piece of the county's $497 million annual current-expense fund at $117 million a year.
The jails have 2,800 people in custody on an average day, with misdemeanor sentences making up 35 percent of that - about 970 inmates.
Sims estimated that 30 to 60 inmates initially could be involved in the new program and that early savings could come to $300,000 to $400,000 a year. Instead of being jailed, those inmates would go into other programs:
• A center would open on the 10th floor of the King County Courthouse to handle two dozen inmates who would report there daily instead of spending the night in jail. The center would offer services to help offenders comply with court conditions, such as mental-health, alcohol-treatment and education programs.
Saying low-risk offenders don't need to be jailed, King County Executive Ron Sims announced a pilot program yesterday to reduce the number of inmates held in county jails in Seattle and Kent.
Sims said the effort is essential for the county to cope with increasing budget demands. The county is expected to be $50 million short of the revenue needed next year to offer present services.
The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention is the biggest piece of the county's $497 million annual current-expense fund at $117 million a year.
The jails have 2,800 people in custody on an average day, with misdemeanor sentences making up 35 percent of that - about 970 inmates.
Sims estimated that 30 to 60 inmates initially could be involved in the new program and that early savings could come to $300,000 to $400,000 a year. Instead of being jailed, those inmates would go into other programs:
• A center would open on the 10th floor of the King County Courthouse to handle two dozen inmates who would report there daily instead of spending the night in jail. The center would offer services to help offenders comply with court conditions, such as mental-health, alcohol-treatment and education programs.
• A transition program would be started in the west wing of the downtown jail to help inmates avoid going back to jail through such programs as substance-abuse education, parenting help and domestic-violence counseling. The program would be modeled on a program at the North Rehabilitation Facility in North Seattle.
• A work-crew program would be expanded to include more low-risk offenders, such as those arrested for driving with a suspended license. The crews would be run with district courts, which began a pilot program March 1 in Seattle and Southwest District courts.
Presiding District Judge J. Wesley Saint Clair estimated the number of people jailed in King County for driving violations at more than 10,000 a year, each serving an average of 61/2 days in jail.
Sims said the new plan also aimed at reducing repeat offenders, who make up more than half the jail population.
Sims said the jail-reduction plan, if successful, could be expanded.
• A transition program would be started in the west wing of the downtown jail to help inmates avoid going back to jail through such programs as substance-abuse education, parenting help and domestic-violence counseling. The program would be modeled on a program at the North Rehabilitation Facility in North Seattle.
• A work-crew program would be expanded to include more low-risk offenders, such as those arrested for driving with a suspended license. The crews would be run with district courts, which began a pilot program March 1 in Seattle and Southwest District courts.
Presiding District Judge J. Wesley Saint Clair estimated the number of people jailed in King County for driving violations at more than 10,000 a year, each serving an average of 61/2 days in jail.
Sims said the new plan also aimed at reducing repeat offenders, who make up more than half the jail population.
Sims said the jail-reduction plan, if successful, could be expanded.

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