Despite the need for investment in anti-poverty measures, affordable housing, and end to homelessness, recovery services, mental health needs both Benton & Washington Counties continue to march forward with the intent to spend

- $240 MILLION in Benton County for jail expansion

- $25+ MILLION on Washington County jail expansion

PLUS

+ 100s of extra employees this would need (have trouble today with staff)

+ MILLIONS ongoing maintenance & operations

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WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Click on the links below to your county to let YOUR officials know that spending MILLIONS on jail expansion without FIRST investing in appropriate responses to the known needs of the community.  

5 YEAR moratorium on jail construction until solutions have been implemented and their outcomes measured.

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+ Pretrial diversion implementation:  Sobering centers, Detox centers, Mental Health ER.  Price Tag $340,000 to $2,000,000

+ Increase alternative sentences.  Price Tag $200,000

+ Implement MORE specialty courts like DWI, Domestic violence, Mental Health.  Expand Drug court, Concurring courts.  Price tag $200,000 to $2,000,000 depending on how many & how large.

+ Reduce pretrial detained community members through robust pretrial services department - services for court reminders, transportation, child care, recovery and mental health services.  Price tag $1mm or less

+ Stop housing detained individuals for federal agencies (ICE/US Marshalls/Homeland/DEA)

+ Put in place a "keep families together" program like Restore Hope (https://www.restorehopear.org) to support families for training, therapy, ongoing case management, job training/education, childcare, DL restoration.  Price tag $1mm to $2mm 

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What do you notice about the cost to truly invest in our community?  That is nowhere near the cost to build and maintain more jail beds.