County's need for facility is very real

As a concerned citizen and a property owner in Bonner County I would like to point out a few things regarding the juvenile detention facility. First of all it’s a two-year levy and, if I understand it correctly, the new facility will then be completely paid for in those same two years.

If we don’t get the levy approved, there is a very real possibility that our current facility will have deteriorated beyond repair, which will make it difficult for the state to continue to certify it, and it will be closed by the state for non-compliance. That situation would necessitate relocating all current incarcerated juveniles to Kootenai County Juvenile Detention Center at a cost of approximately $1 million a year. The million would include bed days, transportation and staff. Realistically there would be an additional cost of transporting these juveniles for on going court hearings, doctors, and possible counseling appointments, which would be the responsibility of Bonner County. Furthermore, it should be noted that the cost to use Kootenai County’s facility has continued to increase annually.

And in response to the writer who suggested passing the costs on to the parents of incarcerated juveniles, this approach could backfire. The courts are currently charging parents at a rate of $25 per day not to exceed $500. The actual current cost to send a juvenile to Kootenai County is approximately $160 per day and continues to rise each year. Many parents do not have the resources to pay these fines. Even assuming that the courts are willing to impose larger fines and fees on parents, many either cannot, or will not, pay such fines. The only alternative at that point is to place the parents in jail for failure to pay. Now we have the additional expense of incarcerating the parents and finding suitable care and supervision for the juvenile and other minor members of that family.

Finally, I would like to address those writers who assume all juveniles in detention are a “lost cause” and unworthy of proper care and treatment. Many of these kids have just made stupid mistakes, ones they will probably never repeat. Not many are truly criminals. How many among us have never made a choice we were not proud of or made mistakes when we were kids and were just lucky enough not to have been caught?

I would urge voters to support all of our kids and the Juvenile Detention Center by voting yes on the upcoming levy.

T. ARLO HOISINGTON

KRISANNE EDGECOMB

Sandpoint