Re: New jail
Spend, spend, spend, and really soon property taxes will be out of sight and out of affordability. They’re bad enough now – but wait!
Sheriff Jack Williams has asked for a new jail. $12 million because he says 90 percent of the crime in Greene County is fueled by drug use of meth and marijuana.
Sorry Big Spenders, but that’s the wrong approach to the problem.
Lock ’em up – turn ’em loose over and over. Same offenders – expensive.
Canada has rehab centers in every town with any size and after second offense it’s rehab, not jail over and over.
Their rehab centers are funded by increased prices, taxes on alcohol.
These offenders are people like you and me that mistakenly tried drugs and are now addicted and wish they could have their life back. They’re looking for help and we jail them. Wrong.
Convert a section of our overbuild medical center to rehab department and train a handful of employees to help these poor people in need.
This is what we need – not a new jail. Education and rehab. It works and gets these addicts back in society. And everybody wins. Ask some AA members if jail’s the answer. Our jail’s big enough.
Richard Finch, Jefferson
