Special Election: Johnson County Justice Center, part 2
Old news flash: the bond referendum to fund a new Johnson County justice center failed again two weeks ago. A supermajority of 60 percent was needed, but justice center proponents could only muster 54 percent — a two-point drop from the first vote in November. Turnout was 15.23 percent; 50,478 fewer voters cast a ballot. Bobblehead has a good assessment of the election and what it means here.
Meh. Like I said, I voted in favor but was not broken up when it failed (again). However, despite whiffing (again) for strike two, county officials are still beating the justice center drums. The jail has immediate needs: the locks and control center need to be replaced a some point and all the inmates will be moved elsewhere during the process. The courthouse is too small, not ADA compliant, needs new boilers, and has a moisture problem that has sickened courthouse workers. On top of all the usual rhetoric, the county dropped another bomb: the ambulance service is overwhelmed and needs new facilities.
Alternative plans are being concocted. According to the CRG, new Supervisor John Etheredge
I agree the county needs to be thinking outside of downtown in regards to a “justice center,” but Etheredge seems to ignore the fact most county services and agencies are already centrally located at the county administration buildings along Benton Street. (At least I assume most county agencies are housed there.) Even more bewildering, Etheredge looked straight into the camera for a KCRG report and recommended that people visit the courthouse because it is a beautiful and interesting building. Huh? County officials just told us the courthouse is unsafe because there is no space for security measures and the courtrooms are overcrowded, and now a Supervisor touts it as a tourist destination. Seems a little strange.
Justice center opponents, who agree there are needs at the jail and courthouse, feel this second justice center defeat vindicates a host of alternative ideas to handle drug and non-violent offenders. Perhaps it does show they have support (I agree that a lot of reform is needed), but the justice system remains unchanged. The country would rather keep drug offenders locked up because a lot of people in the private sector are making a lot of money in the process. Any kind of meaningful reform at the national level, which would certainly trickle down to our local level, would severely cripple the so-called “prison industrial complex,” and that ain’t happenin’ anytime soon. It is a cash cow that will continue to graze, much to the detriment of taxpayers and the benefit of companies like Sodexo. As I said previously, those are issues better addressed as a nation and state. Will the defeat of the Johnson County justice center spark a serious effort for reform? Probably not, and I am unsure the courts will get involved to alleviate overcrowding, as happened in California a few years ago, because the county is housing inmates elsewhere.
So what now? I have no clue. But in closing I thought I would direct everyone to this interesting article about Iceland. (I wanted to fit it in somewhere and cannot think of a useful segue.)
Meh. Like I said, I voted in favor but was not broken up when it failed (again). However, despite whiffing (again) for strike two, county officials are still beating the justice center drums. The jail has immediate needs: the locks and control center need to be replaced a some point and all the inmates will be moved elsewhere during the process. The courthouse is too small, not ADA compliant, needs new boilers, and has a moisture problem that has sickened courthouse workers. On top of all the usual rhetoric, the county dropped another bomb: the ambulance service is overwhelmed and needs new facilities.
Alternative plans are being concocted. According to the CRG, new Supervisor John Etheredge
suggested an alternative plan in which the county jail, courthouse and health and human services building be moved out to a central location at the the Johnson County Poor Farm on the edge of Iowa City. Etheredge said the court house could then be turned into a museum with state grant funding, and the other county property could be sold for roughly $8 million to put towards construction of a new jail, courthouse, and health and human services building over the next 10 years.
I agree the county needs to be thinking outside of downtown in regards to a “justice center,” but Etheredge seems to ignore the fact most county services and agencies are already centrally located at the county administration buildings along Benton Street. (At least I assume most county agencies are housed there.) Even more bewildering, Etheredge looked straight into the camera for a KCRG report and recommended that people visit the courthouse because it is a beautiful and interesting building. Huh? County officials just told us the courthouse is unsafe because there is no space for security measures and the courtrooms are overcrowded, and now a Supervisor touts it as a tourist destination. Seems a little strange.
Justice center opponents, who agree there are needs at the jail and courthouse, feel this second justice center defeat vindicates a host of alternative ideas to handle drug and non-violent offenders. Perhaps it does show they have support (I agree that a lot of reform is needed), but the justice system remains unchanged. The country would rather keep drug offenders locked up because a lot of people in the private sector are making a lot of money in the process. Any kind of meaningful reform at the national level, which would certainly trickle down to our local level, would severely cripple the so-called “prison industrial complex,” and that ain’t happenin’ anytime soon. It is a cash cow that will continue to graze, much to the detriment of taxpayers and the benefit of companies like Sodexo. As I said previously, those are issues better addressed as a nation and state. Will the defeat of the Johnson County justice center spark a serious effort for reform? Probably not, and I am unsure the courts will get involved to alleviate overcrowding, as happened in California a few years ago, because the county is housing inmates elsewhere.
So what now? I have no clue. But in closing I thought I would direct everyone to this interesting article about Iceland. (I wanted to fit it in somewhere and cannot think of a useful segue.)
