The folly of building a new Seattle jail
Other regions are closing prisons, legalizing drugs, and developing alternatives. Why is Mayor Nickels wedded to the status quo?
By Lisa Fitzhugh
April 10, 2009.
Lawmakers in Olympia are looking at anything and everything when it comes to reducing costs this year — even closing two state prisons. In fact, states across the country are closing prisons and releasing non-violent offenders in response to gaping holes in revenue. But not here in Seattle. No, we’re still planning to spend $226 million on a new municipal jail over the next few years, budget crisis or not.
When those at the bottom of our economic food chain lose one safety net after another, programs for the mentally ill are reduced to fragments and more fall on hard times trying to stay housed, healthy and sane. They won’t have to worry about where to go when they fall apart. No worries, because we’ll have a brand new jail with 680 beds ready and waiting.
This new jail will also be ready and waiting for the high school drop outs who are eight times as likely to run crossways with the law. As we cut the state’s education budget by almost $1 billion, close schools in Seattle, further narrow the curriculum, and raise high school graduation requirements, we’ll be prepared for the fallout. Why? Because we’ll have a new jail right here in Seattle.
What does it really matter that Sen. Jim Webb, Democrat from Virginia, just introduced major new legislation challenging many of the assumptions that now underlie our corrections systems, including how we deal with drug offenses in this country? Or that even some conservative political pundits are talking about the possibility of legalizing some drugs? Or that here in Washington State, almost 70 percent think we should decriminalize or legalize marijuana possession? And how to factor in that viable pre-arrest diversion programs already exist to treat non-violent drug offenses differently, saving tens of thousands of dollars per arrest?
But what does that really matter when our City’s investment in building a jail is dug in deep? Why imagine anything else? Even though we have been here before, and faced similar choices about whether or not to invest in less costly, and more forward-looking treatment options, we’re still committed to a new jail.
In many other ways, we have learned to do things better. Twenty-five years ago we made the choice to invest in recycling over building a new waste incinerator: today we have a world class recycling system. Ten years ago, we made the choice to invest in treatment and prevention programs for juvenile offenders over building a new juvenile detention facility. It required King County to re-evaluate every aspect of its system. Thanks to bold leadership, we did, averting millions in construction costs and increasing public safety.
Or consider our having just elected an African American president. The black turnout in the 2008 elections was 100 percent higher than ever before. Meanwhile, here we are in King County, renamed for the greatest civil rights leader in history, and still 40 percent of the jail population is African American while only 6 percent of our population falls into this racial category. Does this galling disparity really matter when we have a Mayor Greg Nickels who can dismiss a broader range of voices without repercussion? Clearly not.
Yet it does matter, a lot. It matters to a growing constituency of citizens and young people who find it appalling that only a few are stepping forward to question the paradox of building a jail and closing schools. It will only change if more of us confront these challenges and demand an authentic response by our leaders.
Comments:
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 8:29 a.m. Inappropriate
Yes, our current President, First lady and their life story should inspire that 40% of the jail population. The inmates should be motivated to follow the right path and quit living the life of a stereotypical thug.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 9:04 a.m. Inappropriate
Perhaps you should also take your grievance to King County which has told all cities in the county that they will cease housing misdemeanor inmates come 2011. This budget action on the part of the County has forced a number of jurisdictions to plan for new jail space that they don't want to build.
Perhaps you should also take your grievance to the State which informs and for the most stipulates what is and isn't considered a criminal offense in the city.
Perhaps you should also take your grievance to the Seattle Public Schools superintendant, who along with the Seattle school board, has to contend with massive budget problems while trying to educate a smaller and poorer student body as wealthier families increasingly send their children to private schools.
I couldn't agree more that the state of our criminal justice system is in poor order. I'm encouraged by the questions that Sen. Webb is asking. And the City could do and needs to do a lot more to address these issues, but they need cooperation from a lot of people both up and down on the totem pole.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 11:28 a.m. Inappropriate
Lisa is correct, this is appalling. Why are we sending more people to jail instead of working on programs to help them? Mr. Nichols, I understand, ran his campaign on liberal values, but these are not liberal programs at all. As the writer pointed out, officials in other areas of the country have already figured out that this "solution" is a dead end: how can we consider ourselves a progressive city if during an economic crisis we are focused on putting more people in jail?
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 12:01 p.m. Inappropriate
How better to deal with people that don't composte?
Use water bottles?
Use plastic bags?
Or drive cars?
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 2:31 p.m. Inappropriate
Artman, don't talk out ur ass, this country has fucked us over, it's beyond that simple, you gotta remember, the FBI killed mlk n Malcolm, the gov murdered the panthers n there sleep, the crack cocain era locked killed r fucked most ppl who have bred the generation u refer to, so yea we need to lead better lives, but not all of us lived n Hawaii with parents and grandparents to guide us, most of us r victims, still trying to get out this mess, and then get our families out of this. But it takes a prison sentence for the average minority to cme to ths understanding. Which is too late: if they can make it through all the shit and have ne good left in em. This country is still racist, like mos def said " put u on a yacht but they won't call it a slave ship." the criminal system not only gives purpose to most the children of the ppl who decide to go to law school, the police, court house, bail bondsman, and the corporations that own prisons, but it funds America, to some extent which is only the succes it is becuz of slavery, so befor u say we need to live lives like Obama, remember what the fuck just happeed, that isn't taught in schools, and what the fuck is still going on.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 2:34 p.m. Inappropriate
For ne offended by my language, like tupac said, " my language can't possible offnd u ne more then what's really going on.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 3:27 p.m. Inappropriate
Maybe I'm just playing "good cop" here, but I don't know that it's fair to say that Nickels is wedded to building a new jail.
To his credit (and for those of you who know who me, you know know I don't say this often), the Mayor deserves some props for particpating in the group that the City Council, led by Nick Licata, put together to re-evaluate whether we need a new jail.
Mayoral staff have been very helpful in this effort and the work done to date looks very promising. And without the Mayor's blessing we wouldn't be getting this cooperation and we likely would not have gotten as far as we have in 2 meetings!
If you'd like to know more about the GOOD news, see here:
http://www.seattle.gov/council/licata/up/275.htm
What could help to cinch the City avoiding building a new jail is what is being promoted by some of the folks involved on this committee (Licata, the King County Bar, ACLU, the Defender Association). If we can expand a very successful program called Clean Dreans, we can reduce reliance on jail, actually make IMPROVEMENTS in public safety, and give young adults a way out of this cycle. See here:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003867286_cleandreams04m.html
If the Mayor deserves criticism on this particular issue, it's because he's told the Belltown Community Council on a recent public safety tour of the neighborhood that he doesn't support the expansion of Clean Dreams. Belltown neighbors and shop owners alike see that business as usual doesn't have any impact helping that neighborhood deal with the disruptive impacts of open air drug markets.
Why does the Mayor say "no" to Clean Dreams when saying "yes" may give us something other than a jail to build? By saying "yes" we can instead build a safer and more just city.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 4:13 p.m. Inappropriate
You don't need to live in Hawaii to know right from wrong. I am tired of excuses and people playing the victim.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 6:02 p.m. Inappropriate
Lol u have no clue, Have u been in a school in the ghetto? Or a ghetto for that matter, no excuses. U gotta think, no one around u is about nething good, know right from
Wrong, the gov. Don't do us right, how would we know right from wrong if u don't c nothing but the ghetto ur whole life?? ur life must be very comfortble.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 6:28 p.m. Inappropriate
Too many people have marched, demonstrated, been beaten, lynched and killed fighting for civil rights to have gangsters wasting their lives doing nothing.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 8:10 p.m. Inappropriate
Well if PPl wouldn't have been racist in the first place we wouldn't have this problem in the first place now would we,maybe if the country wouldn't be so dependen on fucking us over we wouldn't be thugs. u may have the benifit of having so many ppl telling u the things that u r saying, but not everyone has had that much, and those ppl u speak of, were doing the same thing we r doing today, the only difference befor was there were mlk an maclilm x inspiring pplto march and get there rights. we don't have em ne more.r gov killed em, sorry u feel uncomfortble with ppl being thugs but it's cuz of ur parents, go whine to thenm
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 8:51 p.m. Inappropriate
I like Bill Cosby's rapping. People need to take responsibility for their own actions. Can't blame the government for everything. Malcom X was killed by other African Americans led by Elijah Muhammad.
Posted Fri, Apr 10, 9:21 p.m. Inappropriate
Lol, have u even seen the movie idiot??? I'm done with this
Posted Sun, Apr 12, 9:09 a.m. Inappropriate
Why is Mayor Jowly wedded to the status quo? Good question. I think he and city council are disconnected from the fundamental reality that Seattle is facing a large--$43,000,000--budget gap that is likely to grow as the recession drags on. This hasn't stopped them from forging ahead with wasteful projects such as this new jail and a $200,000,000 project to beautify 6 blocks of Mercer Street. This is like a person who is flat broke charging stuff on their credit cards.
Posted Mon, Apr 13, 2:06 p.m. Inappropriate
Artman, you didn't answer domkvj's question: have you been in a school in the ghetto? I teach in a school that's not even in the ghetto, and the way we treat minority students is truly nauseating. So the question bears repeating: have you?
Additionally, "wasting their lives" is meaningless. I wasted my whole Sunday afternoon the other day. How much time in jail do I deserve?
Posted Thu, Apr 16, 7:48 a.m. Inappropriate
The Great Debaters Starring Denzel Washington is a good movie. Don't forget, BillCosby.com.