Harry's Gang: Crisis brings jail use into focus

People in jail are at risk to get the coronavirus, simply due to the close confines of a jail and the ease the virus spreads. To avoid a catastrophe, some authorities propose that some inmates be released, and allowed to go home under close monitoring. Serious offenders won’t be let out (other precautions are being taken to protect them from the virus). It hasn’t happened here, yet. But it might.

This begs the question: What are these people doing in jail in the first place?

It’s no secret that America incarcerates more of its citizens than most other civilized countries. For some reason, we feel that storing people in prisons is an effective tool in combating crime and forcing social order. I’m not sure it works as well as intended. America still has a crime problem. I understand that’s due to many factors, such as the multiple cultures we have in our country, plus the immense number of civil liberties we enjoy, giving us a sense of freedom. Low-crime places, such as Singapore, rely on harsh penalties for even minor infractions. Some countries in Europe have a blend of strict gun laws and socialism that keeps crime low. Such efforts would not be appreciated here.

Generally, those released would be people who are awaiting trial and have not been convicted. They are “innocent until proven guilty” but still incarcerated because they either couldn’t post bail, have violated probation, or haven’t been in front of a judge yet. In our system, it makes sense to allow these people out, pending further court action, because it’s not too hard to keep track of them. There is a chance they’ll commit more crimes, but allowing them to get sick with a potentially deadly virus isn’t justice, either.

It’s also no secret that Carlton County sheriff Kelly Lake and many on the county board feel we need a new jail. I agree we need to consider a new jail facility because the current jail just isn’t adequate for our needs. The facility is lacking in certain modern features and we risk the safety and security of our law enforcement officials and the inmates themselves if we don’t upgrade. But if we are simply building a new jail because the old one is too small, I suggest that overpopulation is a problem we can fix without a new jail. Carlton County has been implementing some strategies to reduce the jail population since a planning study showed a concern in that area. As a result, the jail population is down, although the current pandemic may have played a role in that. Still, it shows that our jail does not need to be as crowded as it is.

When the current jail was built, part of the plan was to overbuild the facility so the extra space could be rented to neighboring counties for their inmates. It worked, for a while. But as time went on, the jail became filled with our own residents, and there was little room for rentals.

Well, the jail is now so crowded that we are actually housing some of our inmates in neighboring county facilities.

What happened? The population of Carlton County hasn’t grown significantly since the current jail was built. Why is it overstuffed with prisoners?

Part of the problem is the increase in drug- and gambling-related crime. Some is due to increased domestic assault and drunk driving enforcement.

Sentences are too long, in my opinion. A certain amount of incarceration is necessary, but probation and other tools also work.

Another problem is that state legislators love to be “tough on crime.” No one ever got elected by promising to be soft on crime, even when it might make some sense. So crime bills get passed and counties have little choice but to enforce those laws.

So far, Carlton County hasn’t had to release any inmates due to the coronavirus. But we can watch and see what happens statewide as other counties make releases. It will be an interesting experiment. If we can track crime, recidivism, and other factors during this pandemic, we may have more tools to figure out how to keep more people out of jail while still enforcing the law.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News community newspaper and an attorney in Esko. He can be reached at [email protected].