TODAY IS THE DAY!
Well, we probably won’t have have all the results until late tonight, but today people will decide some extremely important elections on national, state and local levels. I certainly have some strong opinions with regard to the national arena, and especially with the presidential election (I support my party and my candidate!). However, one local election is extremely important to me and my family and to the citizens of Smith County.
We have been “dealing” with jail overcrowding for several years now. It has cost us more than 12 million dollars to house inmates in other counties, excluding medical costs, transportation costs, and the cost of inefficiency. We need to expand our facility. It’s that simple.
I have heard all the arguments: ”We need to change the system.” “We need to quit setting high bonds.” “We need to quit arresting people for small amounts of marijuana.” “We need more courts, not a jail.” ”We need to put ‘em in tents like the sheriff in Arizona.” “We need to focus on alternative programs, not warehousing inmates.” “We should buy the [insert name] and make it a jail.” And on and on.
I cannot change the system. Nobody made me king for the day.
There are 13 different judges in Smith County who set bonds. The amounts they choose to set for bonds are based on their individual feelings about what is appropriate to ensure the defendant/inmate will appear in court when required taking into consideration public safety concerns, etc. It’s easy to be an arm chair quarterback when it comes to checking somebody else’s work. Certainly, there are cases that I would’ve set bond amounts differently than other judges might, but my point is that this particular issue is not one that is easy to solve unless it is done so by the State Legislature.
Law enforcement officers now have the option of writing tickets for “minor” offenses such as possession of small amounts of marijuana. The problem is that the legislature didn’t put procedures in place for courts to deal with these types of cases. The other problem is that there is not consensus among judges and prosecutors and law enforcement on how to handle these cases. We live in a conservative community and the safest decision is to continue to handle these cases with arrests.
As the population of a community increases and court dockets and jail populations becoming clogged / overcrowded, we definitely need additional courts, but we also need additional jail beds. We have agreed to ask the legislature for an additional district court, but we must deal with jail overcrowding and courts alone are not the answer. Alternative programs alone are not the answer either.
We can’t just “put ‘em in tents” like the sheriff in Arizona. ‘Nuff said.
We have continued to expand the Alternative to Incarceration program. However, the director of that program said that you start to see less effect on jail population when the program exceeds 300 participants. We now have a drug court, and that is a good thing. We are working on a mental health court, and we will continue to do everything necessary to keep our jail population as low as possible while maintaining safety of the public.
We looked at buying the [insert name] and converting those existing facilities into jails. It’s not cost effective. Jails are not like schools or office buildings. They are more secure. The requirements and regulations are much more stringent.
This is the lowest, by far, of any bond election proposed in recent years. It will take care of our immediate and long term needs with minimal impact on taxpayers. We have studied this issue to death. We have talked this issue to death. There will always be a faction, however small, who oppose doing anything. But that is irresponsible.
While the current opposition group really seems silly, there arguments are even sillier, and because I know that the leaders of this group are intelligent, I can’t believe that they believe there own stated positions. I am convinced that because they don’t like the decisions made by their County Judge, yours truly, and cannot influence me as they would like to, along with the fact that I have worked side by side with a commissioner they don’t particularly like, that they believe that this is really just the first step in getting me out of office. Hey! It’s just politics, and I have discovered that politics are just dirty. I can fade the heat.
I can live with whatever decision voters make during this election and during my bid for reelection. They will probably find some other unsuspecting young attorney with a nice life, and they will support and encourage that person to run against me. Maybe that person will win. Maybe not. But while I am in office, I will continue to do what I think is best. I might make a few mistakes along the way. I’ve done it before.
If the jail bond proposal passes tonight, I will be ecstatic! If it fails, I will be disappointed, but I will not be defeated. I won’t take it personally. I will step back and take a look at the issue, and try to determine what we can do better. I will seek solutions, and I will do my best because that’s all I can give.
May God continue to richly bless and show favor upon our nation, our state, our community and on you!
Pray - Trust - Live
And as my son says, “Peace… Out!”
