I agree with Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler that Clark County needs a separate mental health facility (“Herrera Beutler tours county jail.”) Clark County does not need a new jail; $250 million can be better spent by citizens of Clark County.
The jail population can be reduced. We must remember that the U.S. incarcerates at a rate higher than any other country. The U.S. has 4 percent of the world’s population and 22 percent of the world’s prison population. We incarcerate at rates seven or eights times as high as Europe or Canada.
Our policies need to change. Mentally ill people should not be in jail. Non-violent offenders should not be in jail. Drug use should be treated as a public health problem, not a crime. We should not be using a bail system which lets people with low incomes languish in jail waiting for trial dates while the more wealthy bail themselves out.
We have lots of changes to make before we spend $250 million on a new jail.