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Jail task force agrees new facility or upgrade needed

Prosecutor Golik tells 24-member advisory panel that felony filings per capita are down

By Jake Thomas, Columbian political reporter
Published: May 22, 2018, 9:09pm
3 Photos
Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik listens as other members of the Correction Facility Advisory Commission discuss the future of the Clark County Jail.
Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik listens as other members of the Correction Facility Advisory Commission discuss the future of the Clark County Jail. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

A group of local elected officials, city administrators, police chiefs and other community leaders tasked with looking into Clark County’s options for its aging jail reached a consensus on a key issue.

They all agree the jail, built in 1984, needs to be replaced or substantially upgraded.

Erik Jensen, the group’s facilitator, called the decision by the 24-member Correction Facility Advisory Commission a milestone.

“That is a litmus test for this group’s charge and to move forward,” he said.

Now comes the real work: agreeing on the details of a recommendation the group needs to deliver by November to the Clark County Council.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, a member of the commission, pointed out that there was still no clear consensus among the group on what exactly should be done with the jail. Columbia River Mental Health Services CEO Craig Pridemore, the commission’s chair, declined to take formal action.

The Clark County Council created the commission in February in response to a consultant’s report that found that the jail had become ill-suited to meet the growing county’s needs and could expose it to litigation. The options for upgrading the jail outlined in a follow-up study cost $63 million to $284 million.

The commission has had five meetings where its members have been presented with information on trends in corrections and the state of the current jail. At its most recent meeting, county Prosecutor Tony Golik presented data showing that felony case filings per capita are down in Clark County.

According to data presented by Golik, filings have tracked the county’s population growth through the 1990s and early 2003. Between 1990 and 2004, the county’s population rose from 228,700 to 383,300. The number of felony cases filed between that period rose from 1,557 to 2,457.

However, in 2017, 2,408 felony cases were filed as Clark County’s population rose to 471,000.

Golik attributed part of the drop to more juvenile offenders being diverted from incarceration. He said that research shows that keeping juveniles from incarceration makes them less likely to offend as adults.

“We have work to do on the misdemeanor side,” said Golik.

Misdemeanors filed by Golik’s office (cities can also file misdemeanors) are down as well, from 5,846 in 2010 to 4,547 in 2017. Speaking after the meeting, he said the county could be doing better. For example, Golik said the county could offer more mental health support diversion programs for people accused of a misdemeanor.

Louis Byrd, a local defense attorney who serves on the commission, said that the data presented by Golik shows that statutes, policies and decisions impact how many people are kept in the jail.

“How large is the net that’s going to be cast?” he said. “If you cast a large net, you should increase your catch limit.”

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Columbian political reporter