SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County is asking its residents to bond for money to combine two county jails into one and create a new facility aimed at getting support for low-level offenders.
But one citizen group believes it won’t help the way it’s being advertised.
According to the county, the $507 million bond would cost the average taxpayer about $60 per year. The money would be used to combine two jails into one: The current Salt Lake County Oxbow Jail, on 3148 S. 1100 West, would close, and beds would be added to Salt Lake County Metro Jail on 3365 S. 900 West.
Then, a new Justice and Accountability Center would be built to help people get mental health support and help with job training, housing, and substance abuse needs.
County and state leaders, both Republican and Democrat, gathered on the steps of the Capitol on Friday to argue that the investment is critically necessary to improve public safety.
“We’re adding beds to the the high security jail. And then we’re also building the Justice and Accountability Center for the low level offenders, where we’re going to save tremendous taxpayer dollars,” said Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, R-District 3.
Utah and Salt Lake County leaders on both sides of the political aisle speaking about the proposed bond on the steps of the State Capitol. (KSL TV)
However, the citizen’s group called Salt Lake Community Bail Fund argues the bond’s language does not communicate that the Justice and Accountability Center will be a jail and claims that the added facility is a way for more people experiencing homelessness to be locked up.
“This is a reactive measure that’s only going to hide our most marginalized people,” said Josh Kivlovitz, a volunteer organizer. “It’s going to be a secure facility in which people who are being arrested and tried for crimes of poverty, like trespassing, lower levels of theft, things like that, they’re going to be booked and charged, and they’re not going to have the freedom or autonomy to be able to leave this facility when they want to. And our worries is that we’re positioning it as this robust community service that’s going to help decrease recidivism.”
But the details of how the Justice and Accountability Center will operate have not yet been finalized, according to county leaders.
The group, which helps provide bail for people jailed before trial, believes the money could be better spent directly on community support services.
“We know directly from the people that are in and out of this jail every day, people that I speak to on a regular basis, that jail doesn’t work,” Kivlovitz said.
Proponents of the bond say it is going to help.
“This is a bipartisan effort to improve public safety in a fiscally responsible way. It will improve mental health services and help people get on a path to self-reliance and reduce repeat offenses,” said Salt Lake County Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison, D – At-Large B.
Kivlovitz believes the money could be better spent directly on community support services for groups and programs already doing this work.
“I think it’s really important that we know exactly what we’re voting for and know that we have other options besides this,” he said.
The bond also has the support of Gov. Spencer Cox’s administration, who called it a “critical investment.”