Skagit County Criminal Justice Master Plan Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions Crowding at the jail has critical point and jail population must be reduced. The jail will need modification and/or renovation to be part of a long-term solution. In the next 20 years, the County will experience significant growth which will impact all governmental services. The jail population here is not atypical.

Conclusions The County is effectively moving low-risk inmates from jail to community-based sanctions. Jail population, however, results from the long-term population who are not good candidates for release.  Pretrial detainees with complex and multiple cases.  Sentenced inmates convicted of gross misdemeanors.  Both populations have a significant substance abuse history. Building beds alone will not address recidivism, but evidence- based programs can conservatively reduce the percent who return to jail from 70% to 40%. Jail projects take an average of 44 months for design and construction, and there is little time to delay.

Recommendations Implement a population management strategy:  Develop a case expediter to coordinate and move cases of long-term inmates.  Board prisoners in other locations to reduce crowding. Address the substance abuse treatment needs of inmates, while they are in custody.

Recommendations Implement a broader range of programs in the current facility by providing and provide adequate staffing in the current facility Develop a facility that allows easy expansion  Provide an adequate core to accommodate inmates with an initial housing capacity of no less than 375.  Determine where and how a second expansion could occur Continue and expand the use of community sanctions, provided that this section of the Sheriff’s Office is adequately staffed.

Questions or Comments To leave a comment, or ask a question about the status of the new jail, click on the “Questions or Comments” link on the Jail Status Page.