Anti-jail ballot initiative? Citywide jail-site-fight strategy session

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(sign on kiosk in South Delridge Triangle area)
Dorsol Plants, chair of the Highland Park Action Committee — which not only has led the fight against two proposed city-jail sites in HP, but also is involved in a citywide effort to make the case that a new jail’s not needed at all — forwards word of a strategy session tomorrow, and anyone interested is invited: It’s being led by Real Change, and the invitation notes that RC “continues to organize around the principles that a new jail is an expensive, unnecessary, counterproductive and inhumane investment for Seattle to make. The budget process is ending. The next step being considered for this campaign is the possibility of launching an initiative against the jail to go on the ballot next November.” That’s part of the strategy that will be discussed 5:30-7:30 pm tomorrow (Monday 11/10) in Hall 6 of the Seattle Labor Temple in Belltown (2800 1st Ave.; here’s a map). The invite adds: “This will be a time for leaders from the service providers, advocacy groups, and neighborhood organizations opposed to or concerned by a new jail to come together and strategize.”

marty November 9, 2008 (1:58 pm)

No jails? Ha!! I want to see more criminals locked up. You will never be burglarized by someone who is in jail, it’s that simple.

WSB November 9, 2008 (2:17 pm)

To clarify, the campaign is not against jails – it’s questioning whether the city needs to spend tens of millions of dollars (estimated – no actual cost has been set yet) for a new jail for misdemeanor offenders, when the numbers of that group are actually decreasing (according to the city’s web section on the project
http://seattle.gov/municipaljail ) – or whether there is some other way to deal with the situation that has arisen because the county basically gave its cities an eviction notice for their misdemanor offenders, who previously were housed in jails run by the county. The official process, for anyone wondering, is in something of a lull, ostensibly because the city is waiting to hear site suggestions from other cities that might partner with Seattle in building a new misdemeanor facility – TR

Arrow November 9, 2008 (5:41 pm)

Taking steps to do away with the desperation and hunger that leads someone to burglarize a house and you would save thousands of dollars on alarm systems and home insurance and thousands of taxpayer’s dollars by not housing and feeding them in jails.

“Since the state must necessarily provide subsistence for the criminal poor while undergoing punishment, not to do the same for the poor who have not offended is to give a premium on crime.”
-John Stuart Mills
Principles of Political Economy (1848)

Besides burglary is a felon and there is already a felon jail. If you want to pay millions of dollars to house someone for trespassing or public intoxication that is a different matter.

KT November 9, 2008 (8:00 pm)

“Taking steps to do away with the desperation and hunger” … hardly the only reason, and I am betting not the primary reason, people commit crimes.

CB November 9, 2008 (8:07 pm)

I guess it’s time to get rid of laws… You can’t enforce laws without a place to put the bad guys.

How selfish are these people?

Dorsol November 9, 2008 (8:33 pm)

I just want to take a moment and point out as Tracy did above that this summit is not talking about abolitioning all jails. It is meeting to discuss whether the city should spend millions of dollars building a facility it has yet to properly demonstrate it needs. There are several options on the table, and I think it would be in the cities best interest to consider all of them before spending so much money.
I do think it is also worth mentioning that there are programs that have demonstrated success in serve as alternatives to jails for misdemeanor crimes such as CURB in south Seattle and GOTS in the central district. While it won’t erase crime it would lower the size and cost of a misdemeanor jail.

marty November 10, 2008 (8:43 am)

Arrow: Get your head out of your ___! Check your calendar, it isn’t 1848, it’s 2008. Most burglary crimes are drug related, not because of hunger like it was 150 years ago when crime was low.

OP November 10, 2008 (10:06 am)

Misleading placard: Actually, a new jail WOULD provide new jobs. Just not the kind of jobs these folks want, I suppose. Other than that, it would be curious to see if other cities have misdemeanor holding facilities.

d November 10, 2008 (12:43 pm)

OP –

You might want to catch up on what is happening with proposed misdemeanor jail sites in other areas of King County. Check the links on the Jail Site link on the right-side banner WSB has had for the past six months. Tons of background info there, but more recently about proposed misdemeanor jail sites in the County being built simultaneously. Cost-effective? Uhm. No.

Jane November 10, 2008 (7:28 pm)

What Real Change is proposing is to have the Seattpe Police no longer arrest anyone with less than 10 grams of drugs. Since most people arrested for drug use have less than 1 or 2 grams, this would essentially do away with drug arrests in Seattle. Which would be good news for people in White Center and other parts of the County since everyone would just come to Seattle to buy/sell drugs. Also, if people know they can buy/sell drugs without having to worry about being arrested, I wonder how many will choose to enter treatment – and how many will just continue to use drugs.

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