Bigger jails only mean more prisoners

Here we go again. More clamoring for a new/bigger jail.

At the same time, our local government is struggling with how to reduce the counties budget in these leaner days. Looking at the budget, you might notice the increase to the jail for boarding from $740,000 to $1.2MM? That's half-a-million dollars!

You can bet this also has a strong effect on the fuel bill as these inmates are shuttled back and forth from the boarding facilities to Clarke County for court appearances, etc.

The time is over where the prosecutors and courts can respond to the public's clamor for "safety" by incarcerating so many people who, under our constitution, are presumed innocent.

As an example, on May 22 (the day of the news report), our jail was responsible for 82 inmates with bonds less than $10,000 (meaning they can put up less than $1,000 to get bonded out.) 78 inmates at $5,000 or less. 46 inmates at $3,000 or less, and 18 at $1,000 or less.

On that date we had 113 inmates housed out to other facilities. This includes inmates with $1000 bond, in jail for more than 2 months on a misdemeanor obstruction charge, and others charged with public indecency, suspended license, and drug possession.

I take this information from the jail's data.

I am not sure what purpose shelling out $1,000 in bond money serves to separate the need to pay for incarceration and lodging out of 82 inmates versus the ability to have them at liberty pending trial. Anyone with the means would surely post the bond. Those without, stay in jail, on our dime. It seems a terrible way to allocate liberty. Are we now presumed innocent only as long as we can afford a bond?

When we are looking at "tough choices," we should not treat as a given that the increased jail expenses are necessary, or even acceptable. The sheriff has no control over the numbers, and must ask for the money to house the inmates put in his charge. For this we must look to the prosecutors and the courts for methods to better allocate the dollars being wasted.

Moreover we must support these decision by not witch-hunting the courts and prosecutors when a malfeasor on bond commits a crime. This will happen, I know.

We cannot lock up people presumed innocent under our system of law because that is the only way we can ensure that they do not violate future laws. Incarceration of the innocent as a means of crime prevention is a step down a very dangerous path to the kind of government we claim not to be.

Only when the public, and the press, remember that, and don't immediately seek to castigate those that protect our liberties for their failure to jail the innocent, will the courts and the prosecutors not be driven to err on the side of bond, which means bigger jails, bigger budgets, more joblessness, homelessness, etc.

We don't need a bigger jail. That's just spending money to placate irrational fears of the populace, rather than spending the money where it can help.

Food for thought.