“Build it and they will come.”
Maybe that’s a fitting mantra for a baseball field, but it’s not exactly the slogan we’re looking for when it comes to jails and prisons.
Yet, that’s the end result. No sooner is a new jail built or expanded, then it’s suddenly overcrowded.
Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland is just one of many sheriffs in our area looking to expand his jail.
Newton County officials are reviewing construction costs, but could make a decision this month or in March whether to move forward with the expansion. The cost is estimated at $3.5 million and would give the jail 40 to 50 more beds.
The Globe recently toured the Newton County jail. While it was clean and looked well-maintained, we saw the evidence of overcrowding. In some units at least one to two inmates were sleeping on mats on the floor. The jail was built for 80 beds, but the inmate population runs about 103 or more. Last summer there were some days when 136 prisoners were being housed at the jail. Bonds made available through the federal stimulus program would be used to pay for the construction, and they would be paid off through the general revenue fund over the next 15 years.
The problem? Well before the expansion is paid for, the jail will be overcrowded again. Copeland doesn’t dispute the likelihood, but he, like others who run a jail, are looking for answers. So are we.
Last week Missouri Chief Justice William Ray Price urged legislators to find ways to fight crime without putting more people into prison. He urged the expansion of special drug and drunken driving courts that focus on treatment, adding that the state’s nonviolent offenders need to be rehabilitated, rather than jailed.
In our view, lawmakers should consider some of the measures Price is suggesting. We especially encourage proactive approaches that focus on trying to find out why people use drugs or why they drink and drive. And, why does Missouri continue to rank No. 1 in the country in meth-making?
Until we can answer these question, jail doors will continue to revolve for a certain number of people who can’t shake a destructive lifestyle. Yes, they’ll pay the price with jail time.
Meanwhile, we’ll pay the price with more and more of our tax money.
Opinion
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