At the same time Maleng was testifying in support of more treatment options, attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union were writing a letter to Thurston County Undersheriff Neil McClanahan. It's a suit the county won't win. When the court fight is over, judges will dictate jail operation issues instead of locally elected officials who know and work in this community. The county also should pay attention to another faction. County correction officers believe their lives are endangered because of the overflow of inmates.
Legal action is possible on that front as well.
It may be an assault related to drugs or a burglary charge related to drugs, or a theft charge because of drugs, but I'd say drugs are responsible for 80 to 85 percent of those people sitting in jail. It's clear that the state's Omnibus Drug Act of 1989 hasn't worked. In that overhaul of state drug laws, the minimum punishment for dealing drugs increased from 13 months to 21 months. Sentences for heroin and cocaine offenses doubled and a person with four convictions for dealing drugs automatically serves 10 years, up from three years. Various legislative proposals are moving through the Capitol Campus.