The Republican View: Jail Conversation Should Include Addiction Issue

By Mike Sigler

There’s been a lot of talk about the Tompkins County jail lately with the county studying what should be done.

The state wants and ordered an expansion; that is unless we can lower the number of people we house in the jail. I think there’s a lot of common ground between Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives and Progressives when it comes to prison reform. It should be noted this is not a prison, but a jail where we only hold people temporarily, under a year. While this will not be the correct battlefield to send a message for true prison reform, it still needs reform and a new approach to how we deal with some issues.

I’ve become convinced that we need a detox unit at the jail. I’ve been told many times, judges send someone who’s broken the law to jail sometimes for their safety because if they released them on their own recognizance (ROR’d), they might die. According to these judges who have spoken at various Jail Study Committee meetings, the number of people picked up by police who are high or drunk is staggering.

Where we might find disagreement is whether or not to connect this unit to the jail. I would. These folks, despite having a drug or alcohol problem, still are accused of breaking the law. There may be a victim and a crime that this person will still have to be tried for. Perhaps they will be ROR’d after their detox or enter a rehab center if they choose, but it should be acknowledged that there are still legal consequences behind their actions.

Our police face challenges every day and make split second decisions. When they bring someone in, book them and put them in jail until a judge can hear the charges, they are not doing that lightly. That should go without saying, but in today’s climate, it clearly needs to be repeated, often.

Some judges have expressed that we shouldn’t be setting bail for those picked up on non-violent offenses and that they should be ROR’d. I believe this is also something I can get Republicans and Conservatives behind. These folks have not been convicted and deserve to continue with their lives before their case is adjudicated. We even have a bail fund set up at the county to post bail for some of these folks. Why set bail at all if the county will post bail anyway?

With all that said, it doesn’t mean the jail shouldn’t be expanding. Boarding out people should not be the answer. It removes folks from any support they have and from their legal counsel, putting them in another county. Expansion would not be my first choice, but I’m also hoping that adding a detox unit is not written off by some of the public as simply a jail expansion furthering a prison culture.

It’s clear that many folks who are sent to our county jail have drug issues. I don’t pretend that we can solve those issues. We can address the first step though by sobering these folks up. They can then, with a clear mind, understand the consequences of their actions, can be given legal counsel, and if they like, can be transferred to a rehab center.

I understand this is being worked on by many in our community. Many on my side of the aisle believe, for example, that a heroin injection site is the wrong path. I don’t know if it’s wrong or right. I’m just like everyone else in that I’m tired of seeing good people die from overdoses. I don’t see how a sterile injection site in front of a nurse or doctor would encourage use. I also don’t see how we protect the nurse or doctor from liability, or how we protect the public or the person who just shot up when this clearly addicted person leaves the injection site. There is a Canadian example that’s been talked about. While I don’t have the solution, writing as a Republican, I can say we are listening and we are in this together.

It’s not lost on me that this is only garnering new attention because we are now talking about opioid abuse, which then may transition to heroin abuse. The African American community has struggled with the jailing of members of its community for drug use for decades, with few calls for reform. Newt Gingrich visited Ithaca a few weeks ago and says one of his regrets is treating crack differently than cocaine in the war on drugs, and he recognized the damage that it did to the African American community. It will come as empty recognition perhaps, but I’m hoping it will also come as a signal that it’s being acknowledged that this system is broken and that you can find partners where you may not have expected them.
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Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler, a Republican, represents the Town of Lansing.