Dare I wade

into this jail issue?

Not being a

Fayette resident, I don't have a dog in this hunt, which

could be considered a positive or a negative. On the one

hand, being a nonresident makes me more objective. On the

other hand, it means I have less at stake.

Give that

whatever weight you wish. I'm not going to try and tell

anyone - the commissioners, the jail opponents or

the public at large - what the final answer is. But

I might be able to help you organize the argument a

little bit.

First, for

those who haven't been paying attention, Fayette County

is planning to enlarge the county jail, where local

people convicted of misdemeanors serve their sentences,

and where those charged with more serious crimes are

housed until they are tried and, if convicted, sent to

state or federal facilities.

The jail

has been there about 20 years and is built to handle 75

guests. It is currently handling at least twice that,

sometimes three times that.

More space

is needed. I haven't heard anyone disagree with that.

The plan is

to add two housing pods to the jail, increasing its

capacity by 192 beds in each pod, for a total of 459. The

design that county commissioners have agreed upon would

also provide space for two additional 192-bed pods in the

indefinable future - 10 years, 20, five? Who knows?

If the

current plan becomes reality, this is going to be a much

bigger facility and have a much greater visual impact

than the current one. A new courthouse also is planned,

with the old court facilities renovated and used for

Sheriff's Department offices, so the entire complex will

be pretty huge.

Essentially,

opponents' reasons for being opponents have to do with

fear. That's not a criticism. If we have something to

fear besides fear itself, then fear is the proper

response.

Many people

in the immediate vicinity of the complex fear that having

such a big jail nearby will be dangerous for them.

Criminals might escape and do harm to local people, they

fear.

Well,

criminals do escape from jails sometimes, though our

local law enforcement folks have an excellent reputation

for hanging onto the citizens entrusted to their care.

The question is: Does living a mile or so away from a

jail increase the danger that a)someone will escape and

b)that someone will stop in his/her flight long enough to

inflict harm on anyone who happens to be nearby?

I haven't

been able to find any scientific data on that, but I'm

guessing that the distance of one's dwelling from a

county jail would have no effect on one's chances of

being harmed by an escaped prisoner. A state prison,

maybe, but not a county jail.

Some won't

agree, and their guess is certainly as good as mine. But

I wouldn't make any decisions based on the fear without

at least some statistical evidence that the fear is based

in reality. If you are opposed to the jail enlargement

and want the commissioners to listen to you, then you

need some hard facts to back up the argument.

Second,

nearby residents fear that their property values will go

down. Of course, property values are based on such an

immense number of factors that it's hard to pick one and

assign all the blame or credit to it when values go up or

down.

I live near

Clayton County's jail, and the new one is about the same

distance from my house as the old one. It's much bigger

than the one Fayette is talking about. So far the value

of my property has continued its upward trend. If that

changes, I'll let you know.

Meanwhile,

the same holds true for this fear as for the first one.

If you want the commissioners to change directions at

this point, you have a better chance if you can provide

some proof that the single factor of having a jail nearby

decreases property values. Simply stating the fear is not

enough.

The most

compelling arguments I've heard against the jail project

are offered in quiet conversations with Fayetteville city

officials, developers and others who don't want to be

directly quoted.

Leaders in

Fayetteville have a vision of a pedestrian-friendly

downtown with lots of shops, some good quality housing,

tree-lined sidewalks, historical flavor, some open space

here and there, and frequent activities that help create

a feeling of community.

They're

somewhat worried that this huge complex (including a

county office building a little further down the road)

might not fit in too well with their dreams.

Some

community leaders wonder whether Fayette County really

needs a mega-complex. Governments tend to build large

institutional buildings that have a commanding presence.

But then, Fayette has always prided itself on not

following the thundering herd, has it not?

Next week,

I'll toss out some thoughts on that aspect of the issue.