The following FAQs are listed by Detention Services Project.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office began developing a comprehensive capital improvement and management plan when Spokane International Airport announced that the Geiger Correctional Center’s lease would not be renewed upon its 2013 expiration. Among the goals of this plan are a new corrections facility that absorbs the future lost bed space at Geiger, reduces overcrowding in the current Spokane County Jail and improves inmate and public safety. A key component of this project is an innovative and sustainable Community Corrections Center to house existing and future programs designed to equip offenders with the necessary life skills to help them become productive citizens and avoid returning to jail.
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Why must the Geiger Correctional Center be replaced?
Geiger is an outdated, expensive and inefficient detention center that was not designed for its current use. A safe and modern replacement for the former WWII era Army barracks will ensure that all local, state and federal standards are met; staff and inmate safety will also be paramount.
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Why not remodel Geiger instead?
The Geiger Correction Center building is in such as state that it would have to be razed rather than remodeled; the amount of land available at the current site is not enough to accommodate the safe and modern detention facility that is required. Geiger location on property leased from Spokane International Airport is also of concern. The SIA Board of Directors’ says a correctional facility is incompatible with the airport’s long term goals and has chosen not extend the current lease beyond the 2013 expiration. The Spokane County Board of Commissioners and the Spokane County Sheriff’s office agree with that decision. The SIA board is working with Spokane County to ensure that Geiger remains open if movement toward replacing the aging detention center continues.
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Why was property near the Medical Lake Interchange along I-90 chosen to build a replacement for the Geiger Correctional Facility?
Spokane County conducted two lengthy and comprehensive studies to determine the best place to site a replacement structure for Geiger and the Community Correction Center. The Medical Lake Interchange site was chosen because it best meets the requirements for a safe and modern detention center. This includes access, the amount of available property, infrastructure and access to public transportation. The Medical Lake site is just off I-90 only a few minutes from downtown Spokane. Some 800 acres are available of which the County will need only 40 acres. The area already has power, sewer and water; bus service is also available. Expandability, flexibility and costs are the critical requirements; a Geiger replacement detention facility on the Medical Lake Interchange site lends itself to a less costly, more flexible, and efficient facility. Building on the Medical Lake Interchange site cost some $54 million less than the downtown Spokane county campus site---a much better use of the taxpayers’ investment.
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Why will the Community Corrections Center be housed downtown rather than at the Medical Lake Site?
The people who qualify for any of the seven Community Corrections program now operated by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are selected after they’ve demonstrated their willingness to participate, ability to learn and likelihood of success. The means than a convenient, easily accessible and well designed building should be placed near where the participants reside. In most cases this is in Spokane. The downtown Spokane County campus is an urban location with good public transit, parking and access to other services and agencies and is the best choice for the Community Corrections Center.
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The number of inmates housed at the Spokane County Jail and the Geiger Corrections Center has recently decreased. Does this mean that Geiger no longer has to be replaced?
The decline in the number of inmates in both the Spokane County Jail and the Geiger Correctional Center during the first half of 2010 is good news. But whether this is a long term trend or just an abnormal situation is unclear. What we do know is that both facilities have been over crowded since the mid-1990s and remain over crowed today despite the recent decreases. The Spokane Jail was built to hold 472 inmates; its average daily population over the past 15 years has been 644 people. The Geiger Correction Center held an average of 153 inmates in its first year. Since then Geiger has averaged 450 inmates a day while serving primarily as an overflow to the jail. And when you consider that total arrests are up in Spokane County this year, and inmate populations have resumed increasing it's clear that Geiger still must be replaced to ensure that enough space is available in the existing jail to hold accountable those who do not qualify for community corrections programs.
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Though the total cost of the project when opened will be evaluated on a continued basis to ensure a right sized project, some projections have been compiled toward overall cost of the project over a 25 year life cycle. The total construction costs for the Geiger replacement and the Community Corrections Center continue to be revised downward as the project evolves. Our goal is to develop the right sized facility that meets the public’s needs over the next 25 years.
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Have partnerships for a regional facility been considered with other jurisdictions such as the State of Washington, the federal government or neighboring counties including Kootenai County, Idaho?
Sharing costs with other agencies to create a safe and modern detention facility and community corrections system is an excellent idea and one that we vigorously pursued. This included exploring cooperative partnerships with the State of Washington’s Airway Heights Correctional Facility, reaching out to the U.S. Marshal’s service and discussing whether surrounding counties in Washington and Idaho would be interested in partnering on the project. For a variety of reasons all jurisdictions declined to participate.
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When will we vote on this proposal?
Spokane County residents will vote on the Detention Services Project Proposal in April, 2011.
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