Right Size Jail

Another way the Whatcom criminal legal system is broken.

9 sit in Whatcom County Jail without lawyers 'A violation of their rights,' public defender says

After the resounding defeat of the last jail measure in 2017 the Sheriff and county council members promised to surplus and sell the unpopular LaBounty Rd site outside Ferndale (too far from Courthouse and services, too easy to turn into a mega-jail with modular additions). Now they want to build there again? Another broken promise. Arlene Feld is right:

"Task force member Arlene Feld echoed Peterson’s concern. She said a jail proposal that looks similar on the surface to past measures would jeopardize the public’s trust.

“If we do not listen to what people are saying to us, they will not trust us,” Feld said. “And they’re getting ready to resist.”

Whatcom jail planners favor Ferndale site for new jail Officials also eye 0.2% sales tax for November ballot

Police Interrogations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) John Oliver discusses the tactics that can make police interrogations so damaging, particularly for the innocent, and why he’s more of a Lorelai than a Rory....

"While it all sounds helpful, there are still many questions over how, or if, these programs will make a real difference on jail overcrowding issues, especially as plans for a new jail remain unresolved.

The Whatcom County jail was originally built in 1983, with capacity for 148 inmates. With remodels, its current capacity is now 212, according to Deb Slater, Community Programs Coordinator for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. The nearby Jail Work Center has 150 beds, creating a total capacity of 362 inmates.

Currently, the average daily jail population — which includes both the main jail and work center — has risen to the low 280s, said Wendy Jones, Chief Corrections Deputy for the sheriff’s department.

Increases in the average jail stay and the number of mentally ill inmates held on felony charges are among several reasons for the increase, Jones said. ... While Jones hopes ART will have a positive impact, the significant increases of in-custody offenders with serious mental health issues leaves her feeling unsure.
“Given the limited capacity of services in the area, the high acuity we are seeing in those offenders who are coming into custody, and the nature of the charges that resulted in being booked, it may not have a significant impact on the jail population,” she said."

Leaning into 'treatment over punishment': jail diversion programs show potential - Salish Current Amid calls to reform policing and criminal justice — and an aging, crowded jail — Whatcom officials, residents and law officers are looking to diversion programs for detainees with serious mental health or substance abuse issues.