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Des Moines Register
Editorials
Polk County needs new jail, unfortunately
On Tuesday, voters should approve bonds.
By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
March 23, 2005

Given all its needs, it is regrettable that Polk County is proposing to spend nearly $70 million on another jail. County officials have little choice, however. They deserve voters' support in next Tuesday's special election to authorize issuing the bonds. If voters give their blessing, the county will build a new jail in northeast Polk County with capacity for 1,500 prisoners. The facility would be not merely the largest county jail in Iowa but also the largest single penal institution in Iowa - nearly three times the capacity of the State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. It would house a combination of state and federal criminal convicts and individuals awaiting hearings or trial.

The county has come a long way in the jail business. Between 1907 and 1978 the county had one jail holding 150 prisoners. Thirty beds were added in 1979. That was replaced with a new 180-bed jail built in 1984. Then the floodgates opened: Polk County today has jammed prisoners in every nook and cranny of the '84 jail and a "temporary" jail annex with capacity for 300. Still, with more than 800 prisoners on the average day, the county houses about 300 prisoners a day in other counties and a facility in Missouri.

Several reasons are cited. Illegal drugs - meth, especially - are blamed. The Iowa Legislature has steadily toughened penalties and enacted mandatory-minimum sentences. And Polk County criminal prosecutors feel duty-bound to put criminals away. That said, Polk County does a commendable job of diverting offenders from jail. It offers everything from ankle bracelets to drug courts to programs that give youthful offenders a second chance. Still, the numbers are expected to climb an average of 6 percent a year, which is reason for the state to tackle a long-overdue study of alternatives to incarceration. Meanwhile, Polk County officials have no choice but to house the prisoners who show up on the jail's doorstep each day from 33 federal, state and local law-enforcement jurisdictions.

Polk County Sheriff Dennis Anderson has put together a good plan: All county prisoners - including those now in the '84 jail, the interim facility, other county jails and the Missouri facility - would be consolidated in the new jail. That would save the county more than enough on transportation and housing charges by other jails to offset the annual principle and interest payments on the bonds. Housing an expected 200 federal prisoners would bring in additional revenue.

The new facility would be far more efficient to operate. It would have three courtrooms, to reduce commuting to the courthouse downtown. It would triple (to 194 beds) capacity for drug treatment, which the sheriff has shown to be effective in reducing recidivism. And the site has room for expansion. Besides making financial sense, housing all prisoners in Polk County would be more humane. It is wrong to send jail prisoners halfway across Iowa or to neighboring states, where they are removed from family, friends, support groups and legal aid.

For all those reasons, the county's jail plan deserves a "yes" vote on Tuesday. In the meantime, all Iowans ought to ask state and local leaders a pressing question: Why is devoting growing amounts of resources on jails and prisons better than alternatives that would help offenders straighten out their lives and become productive citizens?
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