Not this jail

Over two years ago, in May of 2024, I asked our jail design consultants and members of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee when and how we were going to conduct public input sessions to inform the jail design. There was not a clear answer. Last Wednesday was the first time the public (and myself) were presented with designs for the proposed jail and Sheriff's office building. That is not public input, that's barely public feedback given that only those that can show up at 9am on a Wednesday can have three minutes at the beginning of the meeting to speak.

I asked for public input. There has been zero public input.

During that same meeting, I inquired about the need for additional garage bays, a special operations room adjacent to a conference room, and spaces labeled 'Unassigned'. I asked for them to return to us with a smaller jail design. Yesterday, they came back with the same square footage (118,000 sqft) while claiming to have modified the design to take away superfluous rooms.

I asked for design options. There are no other design options.

As an elected official, I am deeply disappointed in the process and resultant design of the current jail design. I will be voting 'no' on the bond language because this should not be on the ballot.

My plan is to defeat this jail design and bring it back to the community. We need a community Request for Proposals process that invites everyone to provide their ideas, not just on the jail facility, but the whole spectrum of public safety. Because what I've heard our community wants for people circulating through the jail is:

• Safety - For everyone. No one should be unhoused, hungry, or dealing with mental health issues on their own. And we are in a county that houses a plethora of social service providers aimed at addressing exactly these issues. There is a much larger safety umbrella than law enforcement that we need to continue investing in.

• Diversion - I often hear the Sheriff say that we have maxed out our diversionary practices and there is not much more we can do. How do we know this? Where are the metrics that tell us that this is true? I would like to see the ecosystem of diversionary practices that exist in our county and have the entities that are responsible for carrying them out weigh in on what is working and what is not. We need a review of what we are doing so we can have transparency, build trust, and revise what is not working.

• Rehabilitation - There is quite a bit of discussion around diversion, but what about rehabilitation Before, During, and After people have been in the jail? How many people are in jail due to crimes of poverty? Unable to pay fines or have disabilities that make it difficult to navigate the system? We need to look at our societal supports for our neighbors and DO BETTER.

In 2015, the JC Board of Supervisors signed a Resolution becoming signatories of Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail.

Jessica Peckover, the Johnson County Jail Alternatives Administrator at the time, was quoted in this op-ed as saying, “Johnson County is committed to creating a community in which individuals’ needs are met in appropriate settings rather than relying on institutions of incarceration.”

This is still the vision I believe in. If this resonates with you, then I ask you to join me in making it a reality. Yes, we are required by law to have a jail, and that should be a safer and healthier facility than what we currently have. AND that facility sits within a system that needs our attention and care to provide dignity and safety for all of us.

Three with V:

1. We are starting our 'When They Go Low We Go Deep' Radical Resistance trainings, where we will be learning community organizing strategies, language, and building relationships. Please click here to register.

Training Schedule:

Tuesday, July 21st

Iowa City Public Library

6-8pm

Monday, August 24th

Coralville Public Library

4:30-6:30pm

Thursday September 17th

North Liberty Library

5:30-7:30pm

2. Are there other jail and office design options? Yes, of course there are! One idea I had was building the new facility across from the current jail on S. Capital Road. Once that building was finished, moving our jail operations over there while razing and building a new building for the sheriff's offices in the current footprint of the jail. The county owns every parcel except for one on the east side (circled areas), where the bail bond building is located (the arrow is pointing to the current jail). It keeps the jail close to the courthouse and provides space for temporarily housing people and creating office space.

   

3. Want to support the campaign and look cool? Order some of our 'When They Go Low We go Deep' merchandise!! Just email me: fixmeroraiz@vfo4joco.com

Maraming Salamaat!!

-V