Brown: New Jail Belongs at Courthouse Campus

Northampton County Executive John Brown has attempted to spin a possible jail at Gracedale as "fake news" or politically inspired. In doing so, he ignores a presentation that his own Corrections Director gave to Council last September. At that time, Gracedale was presented as the best option. He ignores his own remarks to Council in June, in which he ruled out a jail at the current Easton site and said he wanted to build on a greenfield. He ignores remarks by his own prison advisory board chair in July, in which Gracedale was cited as a "great location for a new jail."

Brown discovered at a Council meeting two weeks ago that opposition to a jail is very real and has nothing to do with Lamont McClure's campaign for Executive. It has everything to do with Nazareth area residents, most of whom happen to be Republicans. Though Council feigned ignorance, Ryan Woodmansee tartly told them to knock it off. "The cloak is off,"  he said. Taken by surprise, Brown talked in circles instead of just plainly answering their concerns. The best thing he could have said is that there would be no jail at Gracedale. But he refused to say that, just as he refused to say it earlier in the week during his budget address.

These residents are mobilized, have started on online petition, formed Facebook group #NoJailatGracedale,  and conducted a refreshing Q and A on Sunday with both Executive and Council candidates.

In the meantime, Brown has belatedly realized that his intransigence could cost him this election. So late last week, on Facebook, he made this announcement: "Unequivocally, as long as I am County Executive there will never be a jail built at Gracedale!"

Today, at Council's Finance Committee, he said that the $78,000 study (one he could have obtained at no charge from the Department of Corrections) should be in his hands on Friday or Monday. But he had a one-page summary containing seven options considered by DLR.  (These are listed below) and the savings that could be realized from the $115 per day per bed it currently costs the county to house prisoners.  He said the option recommended (#7) is to build a new jail on campus

"Right now, it's pointing to remaining here in Easton on this campus, doing a new facility on this footprint."

Brown was unable to explain the options in any great detail, and said that would come with the full report. He indicated on Sunday that the savings in incarceration costs could be $6 million per year.

One of the criteria considered is community support. Amazingly, the worst rating for community support is "fair." Obviously,community support for a jail at Gracedale is abysmal. I question how this study determined community support. I doubt there were any surveys.

I also question whether the sudden push to build in place is the result of engineering work or a desire to get re-elected. 

Seven Options

1) Keep West Easton and build 768 bed facility at a new undisclosed site. - $86.42 per day per bed.
2) Keep West Easton and build 768 bed facility at a new undisclosed site. - $88.78 per day per bed.. 

3) Work release downtown and build 768 bed facility at a new undisclosed site. - $88.78 per day per bed.. 

4) Acquire West Easton for both work release and detention with 912 beds - $81.89 per day per bed

5) Consolidate detention and work release with 960 beds at a new site - $78.98 per day per bed

6) Split detention of 912 beds keeping some downtown and some in a 512-bed facility at West Easton - $95.31 per day per bed.

7) Build a new detention center downtown and acquire West  Easton for 912 beds total at a cost of $80.37 per bed per day.