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New York Firm To Help Spokane Officials Investigate Jail Questions

Doug Nadvornick/SPR

Is a new jail in Spokane County’s near future? What would it look like? How much would it cost? Those are all open questions.

Spokane local officials are close to hiring a New York organization to gather information to help them make a decision about a new jail.

Maggie Yates says the Vera Institute of Justice has been working on law enforcement issues with Spokane officials since 2014. Yates is the administrator for the county’s Law and Justice Council. Now, she says, the organization is preparing to convene a process to help local officials make a decision about a new facility.

“We are at a point — and I think we can all agree — we’re at a point that we need to have this conversation, that we need to get an accurate and reliable qualitative and quantitative information and data to leaders so they can make informed decisions,” Yates said.

Yates says Vera will interview local officials and activists and gather demographic information about the criminal justice system.

“We need to figure who currently is in our jail," she said. "Are they the right people to be in jail, given concerns about public safety and public health? And then, are there things that we can be doing differently in order to provide treatment and manage those individuals who come into contact with our criminal justice system?”

You can hear my full interview with Maggie Yates on today’s Inland Journal podcast, which you can find on our website, through iTunes, NPR One or Google Play.

 

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