May 18: Voters Will Approve Reasonable Jail Plan
Looks like it's "back to the drawing board" on the jail problem.
The commissioners court has hired a firm to draw up some new plans. Let's hope they seize the opportunity to solve, in part, another major problems we have in the downtown area, vacancy and decay.
I served on a "jail committee" for Judge Bob Hayes near 20 years ago and we argued in vain the jail needed to be built outside the city. We lost, and the current jail was built, which was supposed to take care of our problems far into the future.
This time around I'm a supporter of building the new jail in the downtown area. Things have changed in the past 20 years. Back then downtown was a thriving area with hotels, car dealerships, upscale shops and parking problems. Today there are blocks of unused buildings and empty lots. Downtown needs revitalization and building the jail there would go a long way in solving that problem.
The city fathers are working to revitalize the area with a special tax application plan. This is a bold and innovative way to boost the mage of downtown. But jobs are what are most needed. We need more people working in the area and more people traveling to the area.
By putting the jail in the downtown area we keep a large number of jobs there and increasing traffic which translates to more service-oriented businesses such as cafes, barber shops and the like. Building the jail downtown is an opportunity to "kill two birds with one stone."
Just drive around the area once housing King Chevrolet and envision neat two-story buildings spread around that space with "green areas" of trees and shrubs and flower beds interspersed with parking lots to yield an open and attractive effect. By building in "pod" fashion we could build only what is needed presently and reserve land in the form of parks for future expansion if and when necessary.
We must keep in mind that if we can get more politicians to join our bold state representative Leo Berman, who is trying to do something effective about the illegal alien situation, we won't need nearly so much jail space as we do today. A shockingly high percentage of jail occupants are illegal aliens.
We also need to find a better way to handle the drug "user." When we just throw them in jail we're punishing ourselves. The cost of incarceration is terribly high. We must find a way to lower it and administer justice outside prisons for minor offenders.
The voters of Smith County will approve a plan if it's reasonably prudent.
Gene Diedrick
Tyler
Tyler
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