Task force drafts work group to study jail length of stay and daily population

On June 10, 2026, the Wakom County Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF) Steering Committee reviewed a draft charter for a work group to analyze average length of stay (ALOS) and average daily population (ADP) and to recommend policies and programs that could reduce jail population and inform future jail sizing.

The work group, which Heather said would be convened under direction from the county council's budget-cap resolution, will examine how ALOS and ADP drive facility needs and identify interventions to reduce both measures. Heather said the group will report initial progress at the end of August and deliver a final report by the end of November 2026.

Why it matters: Heather cited a prior Pasco report linking ALOS to future jail size and said reducing length of stay could materially change projected facility needs. The steering committee discussed the group’s proposed membership—county staff, a sheriff representative, prosecutor or representative, public defender (Maya or a designee), a presiding judge, health and community services staff (Malora or Hannah), a behavioral-health community provider, and an individual with lived experience (Rosa Hunter)—and emphasized the need for judicial and municipal court perspectives.

During discussion, Birdie urged caution about prescribing clinical timeframes for a behavioral care facility, saying, “I don't think it's really appropriate to try to determine an appropriate length of stay because people will be there for mental health issues which is a medical issue and and highly variable in the severity and in the um particular treatment needed.” Committee members agreed the IPRTF should review proposed operational plans but should not set clinical care standards.

Members also debated whether warrants and court processes should be part of the work group's scope. The sheriff and court staff described the challenge of counting active warrants across different court systems and noted data glitches (for example, records that remain active after a person is deceased or where return-of-service records are missing). The sheriff said a regular internal report exists and offered to share it with the work group: “we do have a report that I send out every month … and I could send it out to this group,” he said.

The committee stressed process items for the first work-group meeting: define the group's scope (including whether and how it will treat diversion), identify who will compile and analyze data, and set clear expectations about staff support and documentation. Several members warned that compiling warrant and court data is nontrivial and may require coordination with the Administrative Office of the Courts and county staff who know the various court databases.

Next steps: The steering committee asked that the draft charter be revised to clarify membership, responsibilities for staffing and documentation, and to confirm the August and November report dates before sending the charter to the full IPRTF for formal consideration.