Area growth reflected in strained justice system

Consultants outline recommendations

By Maggie Plummer

POLSON — There's no doubt about it: Lake County's jail, courtrooms, and offices are bursting at the seams.

They no longer meet the needs of the county.

Since 2000, some 578 offenders have not been brought into the county's detention center because the jail was full. Too often, DUI offenders are turned away and the Sheriff's Department cannot serve warrants already in the system.

In fact, pretty much every agency in the Lake County Courthouse is similarly strapped for space.

District Judges Kim Christopher and C. B. McNeil are worried that they cannot provide justice for area citizens because of insufficient courtroom space.

The 20th Judicial District must frequently schedule civil trials more than a year in the future. There is an ever-present concern over the Court's ability to guarantee a speedy trial to the accused.

In spite of increasing workloads as Lake County's population grows, the county attorney's office hasn't had an increase in staff for 20 years. The Clerk of Court and Justice Court offices are also considered seriously understaffed, especially when compared to similar offices around the state.

These are some of the reasons why the Lake County Justice Center Planning Committee invited two consultants from the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) - a part of the federal Justice Department's Bureau of Prisons - to visit the county last week and help assess the situation.

Following several days of talking with police chiefs, judges, detention officers, attorneys, police officers, probation officers, mental health workers and doctors, NIC consultants Diane Moore and Kevin Warwick held a public meeting last Thursday morning to summarize their observations, listen to public comment, and outline their recommendations.

Moore traveled to Polson from Nashville, Tennessee, where she is assistant to the deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Warwick, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, has 20 years of experience working in county jails. He is currently president of Alternative Solutions Associates.

The two will soon be sending their official written report to Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson, assessing the county's needs.

During the public meeting, attended by about 35 people (including law enforcement, probation personnel, judges, the Polson mayor, members of the Polson City Council, several private citizens and Lake County Commissioner Paddy Trusler), the two suggested that local folks go see the 42-bed county jail. They found it highly unusual that the courthouse has one elevator to serve both the inmates and the public.

Warwick commented that "a big issue here is sentence integrity." In other words, offenders don't always get what their sentence says they get, due to the overcrowding at the jail. "Your decision-making process is all based on the fact that the jail is full," he added.

He and Moore also noted that the county's options for sentencing jump from "Advil" to "Intensive Care." They feel the county should provide more options in the middle, such as Day Reporting Centers and pre-trial release programs. Moore encouraged officials to consider setting up a Day Reporting Center, and said that it could save the county money.

The consultants noted that the number of jail refusals, due to a full jail, has jumped from 48 in 2002 to 132 in 2006. In 1999, they said, the county handled 5,693 9-1-1 calls; in 2006, that number was a whopping 13,812. "These are extremely high numbers for a community this size," Warwick remarked.

In 1999, there were 784 bookings into the county jail. In 2006, the jail saw 1,071 bookings - yet the facility had remained the same.

Lake County has a "bad building," Warwick pointed out, adding that for some reason facilities built in the 70s, as Lake County's was, are worse than those that were built during the 1800s. "We're not sure why," he admitted.

Among their recommendations are: restructure and rename the justice system committee to become the "Criminal Justice Coordinating Council," and include a wide cross section of community members who can "respond, not react;" figure out what the needs are; educate the public; and develop a strategy.

"You need to be creative, collaborate with the Tribes, and find funding," Moore told the gathering. County and Tribal officials should explore options and ask the question 'how can we benefit together?' they suggested.

"Doing nothing is not your best option," Warwick said.

And, the two agreed wholeheartedly, "Collaboration benefits everyone."