Slog - Comments on City Tries to Lock Down Jail Site

Comment by JC

JC — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:21:29 -0800

Use the Amazon building once they move out. It's already spooky and imposing. Parents can point it out to their children. "If you're bad, you go to the jail on the hill! There!"

Comment by Linsey

Linsey — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:33:08 -0800

if you want to see the reaction of people in Magnolia, log on to http://www.sleeplessinmagnolia.com where you can also read on as people shit themselves about proposed low income housing in Discovery Park.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:35:43 -0800

The one that makes the only sense is Interbay, quite frankly, but I expect certain rich people to make a fuss and get us a suboptimal choice anyway.

Magnolia needs to realize rich people need jails near their houses too. Especially other than white collar criminals.

Comment by guest

guest — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:55:22 -0800

I still think it's awfully short-sighted to use 7 acres of City land for a jail. It's false economy to waste that much space for this. And the jail should be located near the courts. How much money and gas is going to be spent shuttling prisoners to and from these sites? It's even cheaper to just let everyone out on their own recognizance and hope for the best.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:34:21 -0800

Valid point @4. Part of the reason for Interbay is that it IS closer to the courts.

Comment by Jonah S

Jonah S — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:55:52 -0800

The jail will only hold misdemeanor offenders, so it's not the same as KCJ which is constantly moving prisoners between different facilities. This is more of a hold-you-overnight kind of place.

Comment by Name*:

Name*: — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:57:35 -0800

Yeah, hold you overnight until you can go to the district court and get a very low bail at a courtroom that is currently located inside the King County Jail. If you need a trial, and lots do, the district courts are conveniently located across the street from the current King County Jail. Which is not a convenient location if the prisoners are several miles away.

The shuttling of prisoners also has to go on because many people picked up for warrants have multiple warrants. Most of which go on in the Superior Court, which conveniently has that two block long skybridge from the King County Jail and shuttles 50-100 prisoners back and forth every day.

For the number of prisoners they say they need - if they built a stacked jail situation like the KCJ, they'd need four stories, not seven acres. This needs to be downtown - if they'd thought ahead a few years ago (when they knew the issue was going to happen) it could have been built as a couple of secured floors of that new municipal building. Too bad so sad, but this still needs to be downtown.