Definitions aside people. The math posted in this article is wrong. The statistics are in fact pointed in a direction of swagger. Believe what you will. An update is good, a new building is better. But we'll see what in fact happens. In the mean time, only a few subjects will be reached by programs and the rest will not care (criminals that is).
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I would like to take a moment to state my disgust at this ongoing process. I knew way back, that this was going to be an expensive but unenvoked process with no solution years later. Guess what? It was. Enough talk, get the action. The money isn't there? Criminals don't care, they will keep coming. They can't all be put on home detention, or reprogrammed. So what do you we do now?

So how many plans will this make? How many more expensive plans are we going to have to pay for then throw away. And the publicized cost doesn't include the thousands and thousands of dollars spent on salaries of sheriff's department employees who are making a career out of "working" with the paid planing consultants. I am sick and tired of paying thousands of dollars for plan after plan. Another shining example of the extremely poor caliber of elected officials in this county.

Mistake. Build it now. It will be cheaper, plus it can be rented out to Dane and other places. Diversion programs have a place and can be effective, but ultimately, a bigger jail is needed. They keep screwing around delaying it, wasting money on studies and plans, and then finally build it, it will end up being a $56 million expansion anyhow. This is a mess.

Actually, truecitizen, recidivism is a fairly NON-specific term, and certainly does NOT mean only repitition of a particular crime. Here is the Dictionary.com definition: "repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime." Any relapse into a behavior is recidivism, whether that behavior exactly mimics a past behavior or is only generally similiar.

This is the most confusing article I ever read, they should demote you to folding papers for the carriers

truecitizen, it's clear that Spoden was using the same definition of the term that the USDOJ uses, which is a person committing the same class of crime again later on.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/reentry/rec...
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As for Dane County, which has *three* jails with a rated capacity double that of Rock County's, they have been housing inmates out of county just as we had been and they also have a longer history of diversion programs.

thanks Beth !

raystone,
I wrote this late last night, so it's entirely possible I skipped a line in the web edition of the story.
The plan the board approved last night will build an expansion in phases. As stated in the story, the adjustments are being made based on the state of the economy and a reduction in overcrowding. The board approved creation of such a plan, not details of the plan.
Beth Wheelock
Reporter

Ok, I'm confused...
Headline is "approves new jail expansion plan"
1st sentence reads "putting brakes on...jail expansion project"
Last sentence is "county will pay...for new design"
which is it ??

I believe in programs that help. If that program helps people not to re-offend, then great. But we need much more, and we need real numbers. A change of attitude in our communities may be in order. It starts at the individual level, and can't be sugar coated. If a person changes their ways, and wants to regain a spot in society, I support you. Now what about the other masses who don't? In the meantime, this jail has apparently been needing something.

By the way. this county has way too many offenders, in relation to it's population! Why can't that change? Dane County's jail has only a couple of hundred more inmates, yet just the city of Madison as much people in it as all of Rock County...hmmmmmm.

Recidivism is a specific term. I person convicted of a drug offense doesn't do that again, but now committs a burglary....technically did not 're-offend'. The in house poulation has decreased...yea it did, but why? More offenders given bonds maybe? More people given house arrest and such? Forget the jail for a moment, what will happen when the lack of deterance catches up AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE A NEW FACILITY CAPABLE OF HANDLING IT! What about other updates that may be needed? It's not just the size! I hope whatever happens, the powers-that-be protect our community first.