Spokane's Detention Services Director Mike Sparber is asking commissioners to use federal relief money on expansions to the jail. | Pixabay
Spokane's Detention Services Director Mike Sparber is asking commissioners to use federal relief money on expansions to the jail. | Pixabay
Spokane's Detention Services Director Mike Sparber and detention facility employees recently made a pitch to county commissioners suggesting the county's federal COVID-19 pandemic relief should be used for jail expansion to relieve overcrowding.
Spokane County Commissioners are taking the request for temporary jail structures, which was first proposed in February, under consideration but now would be funded with part of the $90 million in federal relief funds the county received, the Spokesman-Review reported.
The Spokane County downtown jail and the Geiger Corrections Center usually have between 900 and 1,000 inmates in custody, according to the Spokesman-Review. Detention officials are concerned low offender inmates, who were released as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, will return when the court system gets back to its pre-pandemic schedule.
Breean Beggs, Spokane City Council president, who opposes the proposal, told the Spokesman-Review he felt the money would be better spent on business recovery and on those in need of food and rent assistance.
Alerts Sign-up