Sullivan County leaders are debating whether to spend more than five and a half million dollars on a new approach to treating the county's criminals.
The plan would build a new correction's facility designed to keep released prisoners out of jail.
But the proposal comes in the wake of a huge budget deficit as many towns struggle with their own debts.
The Vermont Standard's Kevin Forrest reports.
19-year-old Claremont resident Eric Morrissey admits he started a fire last year that landed him in the Sullivan County Jail.
He says he was drunk and making bad decisions.
After he served time, consequent probation violations led him back to jail where inmates did nothing but brag about their crimes.
Morrisey - They’re not talking anything good or trying to help you to not do the same things over again. They’re explaining to you what they did wrong and like, I’ve seen people go into a place like that and come out worse then they were when they went in.
But now Morrissey has earned his way into a small transitional unit for prisoners.
Here he’s received help with his alcohol addiction and learned skills that will help him get back to society.
Morrissey – Once you’re arrested and you’re in the jail, you’ve hit rock bottom and you’ve got to climb your way back up the steps. And this facility actually helps you climb through the steps to get back out in the community, so you can be a successful member of the community, where you’re not going to screw up and come back.
Corrections and law enforcement people agree that inmates that go through these transitional units are less likely to return to jail.
With that in mind, Sullivan County officials have proposed a $5.6 million community corrections center that would reform inmates rather than warehouse them.
Ross Cunningham, the superintendent of the Sullivan County House of Corrections says the new facility would be the first of its type in New Hampshire.
Cunningham - This would be one of the first of what the future in corrections would be, a reentry center, based on doing treatment and a continuum of care all the way out until an offender is actually in society
The proposed facility would be more than 14-thousand-square-feet and could house 68 inmates.
County officials also want to spend another million and a half dollars to renovate the existing jail, where about 90 inmates are crammed into a space meant for 44.
State Representative Beverly Rodeschin of Newport is one of 13 House members that make up the county delegation.
She says the plan faces an uphill battle because taxpayers can’t afford it.
Rodeschin - It’s not that I’m opposed to the project. They’ve needed to do something at corrections for a number of years. They haven’t done it, and now they’re doing it at this time when it hitting the property taxpayers at a tremendous level.
Sullivan County taxpayers are already paying off a two-and-one-half million dollar deficit.
The newest county budget added another three-hundred-thousand-dollar shortfall.
Representative Rodeschin says it’s no secret that the county’s financial woes stem mostly from its nursing home, Sullivan County Health Care.
Rodeschin - The biggest concern I have, the area that’s doing it, is the county home. And until the county gets its fiscal house in order, I cannot support this kind of increase.
The nursing home has had a series of money and management problems. Resulting deficits have translated into big tax increases for towns like Claremont and Sunapee.
Ethel Jarvis is one of three county commissioners who have voted unanimously to support the plan. Jarvis says the new facility will help close the revolving door at the county jail.
Jarvis - It’s supposed to be the department of corrections. It’s not supposed to be where you come in, go out, come in, go out and not have anything to help you.
County officials like Sheriff Mike Prozzo also support the plan. Prozzo agrees that most of the county’s prisoners are drug addicts.
He says treating them, rather than locking them away, makes good sense.
And Prozzo believes other New Hampshire correctional facilities are likely to follow suit.
Prozzo - I think we’re being watched, this whole situation is going to be watched throughout the state to see how it’s going to work. It’s an opportunity for us to be a leader. And I think it’s a step in the right direction.
With the three commissioners already on board, the fate of the plan now lies with the 13 county delegation members. Funds for the new facility
are not included in the current budget. But delegates could still vote by year’s end.
If it passes, ground could be broken next year.
For NHPR, this is Kevin Forrest
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I find it very disheartening that our county delegation did not bring all this proposal out for public discussion in an open fashion, one public hearing and I was shut down before they even began to answer my questions. I couldn't even believe they were bringing people from all over the county for transitional housing out here in Unity, and at that point I had no reason to believe they would consider bringing people in from around the state or other states. They want to make money off this and they don't want us to know that. Maybe it is brilliant and it will solve all our financial problems, I don't think so but maybe it is. If it is why not be open and up front. Maybe people in the county do want to build a 48 million dollar jail to house criminals from around the state, it wasn't presented that way before. But if it is brilliant let's talk about it.
The tactic of well give me 48 million, ( not fifty because that seems like more, basic pricing strategy) , or well then give me 36 million, what? Okay I'll take 7 million, man you drive a hard bargain. What was that? How stupid are we? Pretty stupid to fall for this.