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Sheriff Jim Winder wants to close two units of his nearly full Salt Lake County jail and inform law enforcement agencies around the valley that run-of-the-mill misdemeanor offenders will be locked up no longer.
Rather than going through the expensive process of booking a lot of suspects into jail and then holding them, he wants to tap the savings from shuttering the units to develop a probationary team that would supervise low-level offenders while they go about their lives in the outside world.
"We've been doing a lot of the same things over and over and are frustrated at the outcomes. We want to shift gears in the jail to get new outcomes," Winder told the County Council during its midyear budget review.
"We'll be taking human beings who otherwise would be in jail and putting them back in the community and supervising them," he said. "The most effective opportunity to get people back on their feet is to get them back into the community."
Winder sprang his intensive-probation proposal on the council after explaining the rationale behind requested midyear budget increases for jail medical services ($265,000), overtime for jail health workers ($99,000) and a jail assessments/screening team (11 full-time employees, $283,000).
Funding from the state's Justice Reinvestment Initiative is projected to reimburse the county for the assessments/screening team, which provided the jumping-off point for Winder's plan.
He said jail bookings have risen 10 percent during the past two years to about 36,000 last year. These offenders are coming into a jail that already is practically full and holding more state prisoners who are there for lengthier stays. But with the pressure of more arrivals, Winder explained, low-level offenders are being released on their own, creating a revolving door of sorts.
With more assessments and screenings, suspects brought to the jail could be referred to probation officers based on whatever needs they have and risks they pose.
"Just getting them out and putting them on the street doesn't do us any good. First, they have to get out. Second, they have to be supervised. If they're left to their own devices, it is a recipe for disaster," Winder said, contending the assessment team and probation officers would develop plans to get referrals the help they need. "We're going to connect these services … and create the opportunity for these people to succeed."
The sheriff's proposal was generally well received by council members, although several had reservations because the concept was so new.
"With your statistics on the [jail's] increased population, I need more information how closing two units will impact that," Councilwoman Jenny Wilson said. "I want more time to reflect on this."
Not a problem, Winder said, noting that, for now, "I'm asking nothing of the council other than its understanding and support."
Before long, though, he has to shut down two units for routine maintenance, a closure he would like to make permanent if the council accepts his approach, and the county informs police agencies that "we won't accept in our doors certain people."
Winder cited people booked for jaywalking, riding a bicycle without a headlight or a $2.50 theft of services.
"It's obscene — people locked up for jaywalking," Council Chairman Richard Snelgrove said indignantly. "More harm is done than good."
He saw eye to eye with Winder on the benefits of this approach.
"This will help people stay employed. Number two, this will help families stay intact," Snelgrove said. "That means significant savings in societal costs, everything that comes from not having the breadwinner there to support the family."
"You just summed it up," Winder said, nodding.