Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections Jail Capacity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cowlitz County corrections director: mental-health population strains jail capacity, Western State placements up
Summary
Director of Corrections Marin Fox briefed commissioners on jail finances, staffing, a record number of Western State Hospital placements, and how mental-health inmates affect booking and capacity decisions.
Marin Fox, director of corrections, told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that jail finances and capacity are affected by a growing population of inmates with mental-health needs and by continued staffing vacancies.
Fox gave the jail's financial overview: the department's target revenue line for intergovernmental sources is $8,080,000; goods and services were budgeted at $1,481,000 with $172,858 received so far; other financing sources tied to mental/behavioral-health tax transfers were budgeted at $1,334,382, and reimbursement timing from the department has caused temporary under-target reporting.
On personnel, Fox reported the jail's personnel budget at $7,271,995 with $1,779,000 expended so far; the jail has 49 positions filled and six vacancies. She said the department budgets about $433,000 for overtime annually and reviews trends and open positions when assessing overtime needs.
Fox flagged mental-health caseloads as a driver of capacity pressure. She said the jail currently has 22 people placed at Western State Hospital, a record for the county, and that mental-health placements can reduce usable beds because some cells and pods are used to isolate individuals who cannot be housed with others. "If you have a mental health person that can't be with others, then it basically takes that whole pod," she said.
Fox described the intake and diversion process for people with mental-health needs: after booking, law enforcement or staff can request a designated crisis responder (DCR) for evaluation; if the DCR finds the person is a danger to self or others, the county pursues an Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) hold and asks a judge to authorize transfer to a hospital. "We will do that with misdemeanors only. A felony, we would not do that," Fox said.
Commissioners asked whether mental-health detainees affect the county's ability to accept Department of Corrections (DOC) holds. Fox said the jail can limit DOC admissions to preserve beds for local law enforcement and noted many counties refuse DOC admissions entirely. She said the county has not had booking restrictions since May 2023 but may restrict DOC admissions as needed to preserve local capacity.
Fox said the jail is seeing increased claims and medical costs reflected in services budgets and that Western State Hospital has expanded capacity to accept more patients than in prior years. She also noted the department has signed offers and is progressing several candidates through backgrounds, polygraphs, and physicals with typical fill timelines of up to two months.
No formal board action was taken during the financial briefing; Fox said she will return with further updates at upcoming scheduled briefings.
