MISSOULA - I read in the paper recently that the Missoula Sheriff’s Office donated money to the jail diversion program. I want to commend the Sheriff on having the foresight to take available funds and apply them in such an action. By supporting a movement to take or keep a portion of the jailed population out of the jail, he has helped the Missoula County taxpayers as much as he has helped the offenders and his own department.
First, by removing some of the jail population, administration of the jail is made more manageable.
Second, by supporting the diversion program, the possibility of needing a new, larger, more expensive jail is delayed – maybe even avoided altogether.
Third, by giving a defined group of offenders the opportunity to get the kind of support they need, the Sheriff is potentially helping reduce recidivism, which in turn reduces jailhouse population with all its associated costs and just maybe converting a few people from a cost on the system into stable, tax-paying citizens.
I have heard there was resistance against the Sheriff’s Office contributing funds to the diversion program and am disappointed that some people cannot see the value in this gift. However, the money (as I understand it) was the Sheriff’s to spend, with guidelines that came with the money and the only oversight that should be acceptable is to ensure that it is/was spent as intended.
I think our Sheriff should be commended for thinking outside the box on how to use his resources for the best community outcome through his local corrections division. For me, this includes his effort to monitor the incarcerated and determine any who may be candidates for a diversion program.
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