The
Chelan County Regional Jail is located in the city of Wenatchee,
Washington. It is the only regional jail facility in the State and
serves three partners: Chelan County, Douglas County and the City
of Wenatchee. This partnership has resulted in lower cost per prisoner
day than any other facility in the State of Washington.* Serving
a population of over 94,000 people and a geographic area of over
5,000 square miles, the jail has a rated capacity of 197. The staff
and management of the Chelan Jail are committed to serving the community
(a return on goods and services) using inmate labor. They provide
the inmates with a safe, secure environment (objective classification
and programming), and reward their employees with fair and equitable
compensation for the work performed.
The universal problems that jails
have also plague the Chelan Jail. Overcrowding, understaffing, and
restricted budgets play havoc with jail administrators. But in jails,
as opposed to prisons, the work is not in housing per se, but in
the bookings. The Chelan Jail books over 5,800 persons a year, and
does so without booking restrictions. We feel that it is important
to operate without the restrictions to provide the field officers
with all the options to enforcement. The average length of stay
is 21 days.
To combat the problems, the administration
actively pursues a business-like approach. Overcrowding can be addressed
in two significant ways. 1) Create more bed space by adding beds
to existing space/new construction, and 2) Reduce the number of
local repeat offenders.
In an effort to combat overcrowding,
the Chelan Jail has added 57 beds by eliminating the infirmary and
the indoor recreation areas. In addition, the jail is adding 140
beds in a three-phase construction project. Phase one of that project
is currently underway, and will add 40 beds by October of this year.
Phase two will add 60 more, and will be ready for occupancy by the
summer of 2001.
The second way of creating bed
space is more complicated, but often overlooked or given only cursory
attention. With the advent of mandatory arrests and sentencing guidelines
(which, incidentally, went unfunded to jails), the nature of prisoners
changed. Driving under the influence, domestic violence, and similar
laws have forced a significant number of non-predatory persons into
jail. These people need more than incarceration, and a "lock-up"
needs to be redefined. Some people need to be jailed, but others
need more of a non-traditional approach. Often the difference between
any one of these people and you or me is that they need to know
what we know about how to get along in society. To that end, the
regional jail has a full-time educational staff with qualified instructors
in Anger Management, Moral Reconciliation Therapy (MRT), GED, English
as a Second Language, Life Skills Training, and Introduction to
Computers. Our Jail Ministries Program provided over 9,300 visits
to inmates in 1999. (Chaplains almost visited more with our inmates
than with the friends and families of the inmates.) Working in conjunction
with the Objective Classification Staff, programs like these allow
inmates to earn their way to more freedom in a controlled, step-by-step
process. 
The dedication of the space necessary
to accomplish these ends, we feel, is essential. Despite the overcrowded
conditions, the quality of life within our facility is excellent.
We have television, but the inmates pay for it. We have work programs
with the Forest Service, and the inmates pay for the boots and safety
equipment they use. We have commissary (Swanson), which tracks the
inmate funds, not only for items, but for services, such as Booking
Fees ($10), Warrant Service Fees ($37), and Medical Fees ($7 per
visit)**. These fees never go away, and repeat offenders pay and
pay and pay. Telephones are available to the inmate 24 hours per
day, and the inmates pay for that service, too. We even had seven
prisoners get married within the facility last year.
The payment does not buy a right,
but a privilege, and as long as the privilege is not abused, and
there is compliance within the facility, the privilege stays in
place. We have a grievance procedure and the "kite" system.
The staff and administration daily review all such complaints with
an eye toward making improvements in service delivery.
Our
Corrections Division is active in Electronic Home Monitoring and
we hope to be satellite- assisted by next year. We actively pursue
Work Release and the Inmate Worker Programs with the assistance
of Jail Industries. Based on the minimum wage criteria, the Chelan
Jail provided services to the communities in excess of $900,000.
Inmate labor contributes to the low cost of food, as we exchange
inmate labor with the Food Bank, manage the Food Bank Program within
the area, and reconstruct pallets to local merchants and purveyors.
The litter crew does more than clean the highways. Scheduled to
work in parks, and town squares throughout both counties, the litter
crews have contributed to the general cleanliness of our area, and
have tackled such extraordinary projects as cleaning up local fishing
spots, clearing over 800 acres of forest land, and contributing
to the junk car clean-up. This year we expect to be involved in
salmon recovery projects, and the clean-up of salmon habitat.
Understaffing is another major
problem at the jail. Getting qualified candidates is the first problem,
but keeping them is tough, too. More than the dollars earned (though
important) is the ability to fulfill one’s calling. Meaningful work
that contributes to the betterment of the community, and pride in
accomplishment is found within the Chelan Jail. The correction deputy
is not tasked with one routine task day in and day out. He or she
must be well versed in a myriad of correctional activity. They must
be well-trained, confident in their ability, and valued for the
contributions they make. Both the administration and the labor association(s)
have demonstrated their desire to work together. There were only
three disciplinary issues last year, and all were resolved without
adjudication or arbitration. The administration paid personnel to
review the policy and procedure manual, and accepted the workers’
input so that the manual reflects the manner and way we do business.
It became a working document rather than a paperweight on the shelf.
In the last two years, the Chelan
Jail deputies have been in the top five of their graduating classes
at the Academy. Most of the time they mark in the top three. Training
records are kept up-to-date, and are reviewed. Training covered
includes, but is not limited to, NIC Satellite Conferences, Grant
Writing, Crime Scene Artistry, and state and regional conferences.
All employees are encouraged to utilize the S.A.R.A. Problem Solving
Method to make improvements in procedure, facilities, and programs.
The immediate supervisor writes evaluations, and the Personal Management
Interview (PMI) is utilized to set goals for individual performance.
Making the most from the personnel
available is one answer to understaffing. Another is relying on
technology. The Chelan Jail has volunteered to be one of the counties
in the State to pilot the live-scan data input to the Jail Information
Network. This will reduce paperwork, and eliminate the need to repetitiously
enter data. The construction project will move the facility from
linear to podular, giving us a combination facility for more flexibility,
and allowing fewer staff to monitor more prisoners. Satellite technology
will allow us to safely put more prisoners on the street and monitor
their activity. These increases in space will provide more beds,
which would be available to ease overcrowding in other jurisdictions.
Because we operate with a limited tax base, it makes sense for us
to increase the tax base, and pass the savings on to others. Lower
property cost, lower operating costs, and better utilization of
resources makes the Chelan Jail one answer to statewide overcrowding
conditions. Our approach has been threefold:
1) offer partnerships with
the contiguous counties (Conferences RCW 36.64.080 - 36.64.110),
2) offer contracts on a
space available basis, and
3) charge the inmate, within
reason, for government services rendered
As we start into the new millenium,
the only thing we can count on is change. We have the tools to accomplish
our mission while showing the flexibility necessary to serve the
taxpayers, the staff and the inmates.
Details on any information presented
here can be obtained by calling the Chelan County Regional Jail
at (509) 664-5276, Chief of Corrections, Frank Young.
* Partners cost is approximately
$33 per day/contract cost is $56 per day
** Medical Services are contracted
with Pacific Cascade Emergency Associates, which provides
daily medical service and medication delivery.
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