Here & There Column 2-9-10

Sullivan County Jail Questions

Professionally there could have been a better choice of words from the state officials who called the Sullivan County Jail a "dungeon" but state officials called it the worst they have ever seen and in addition to that they apparently are not offering any financial help to build what could be a new $70 million facility.
The State of New York also should be real proud of themselves and the County of Sullivan for going along with the silencing of the public who attended the public meeting with Commissioner of Corrections Chairman Thomas Beilein. This told Sullivan County residents and taxpayers that they were allowed to attend this public meeting but that no public comment or direct questions were allowed...........democracy in action.......what a slap in the face for we the people who would be saddled with paying for a new jail and of course the state (and county for allowing this) did not want to hear it from the folks who are paying their salary.
We applaud Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff and his staff for working through this mess and doing what they have to do to provide for the safety and security of the inmates and the correction officers. The county is fortunate to have an experienced professional in Sheriff Schiff.
Unfortunately this whole mess comes down to the questions can Sullivan County residents afford to pay for a new county jail and are there any immediate solutions or alternative plans.
One would have to wonder if the county should have done more serious planning a number of years ago when they took the approach to do patch jobs here and there hoping to get by. Now the price tag for a new jail is a lot higher than it was back when the patch jobs were done.
We heard talk about a week ago that suggested possibly moving the county jail to the former Sullivan Correction Facility Annex which is now vacant due to the state cutting back on their inmate community service work programs.
If negotiations could be worked out for use of the Sullivan Correction Facility Annex this would surely, at least even on a temporary basis, save Sullivan County taxpayers from facing the burden of building a new county jail.
This Annex facility housed a good number of state inmates and is not that old that it probably could be adopted for use as a county jail.
Boarding out inmates does not appear to be a workable or viable option as estimates indicate this could be a temporary solution but in the long run it would get very costly and might even overtake the cost of building a new jail.
The reality of county finances makes alternative proposals almost a necessity and a proposal should be looked into for possible use of the Sullivan Correctional Facility Annex.
With an unhealthy economy any and all other alternatives should also be considered because county taxpayers can not afford any increase in their property taxes.