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Jail: Speeding Up The Interview Process

Chautauqua County has been stalemated in the fight to keep its jail population under control in recent years.

Depriving someone of their freedom unnecessarily is one of the most serious choices a society can make. While those who would cause serious harm to the innocent in our midst should be kept off the streets, having non-violent offenders in jail does no one any good. And, having the county jail clogged with people who don’t need to be in jail has an effect on the county’s bottom line — a lower jail population means the county can board federal inmates and make money. The jail being too full means the county not only loses federal inmate revenue, but has to pay money to other counties to house its inmates.

It is a good step to have the National Institute of Corrections, an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons, visit the county to refine the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s design, management, operations and delivery of services. Having an outside set of eyes make suggestions and recommendations could go a long way toward bringing all of the necessary players to the table to better regulate the jail population.

Not all good ideas come from fresh eyes, though. A suggestion from Nathaniel Barone, county public defender, seems to make sense, too. Barone is asking for space in the jail to more quickly conduct interviews with clients and determine if they have substance abuse or mental health issues that can result in placement other than the jail. As long as space can be made available and Barone can fit the change into his department’s budget, speeding up the interview process is a change that should be made. No one should be in jail waiting unnecessarily to see a public defender.

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