A New Voice in the Jail Discussion?

The Criminal Justice Task Force has been convened to study ways to meet the county’s growing jail-space needs.

From the press release:

The 15-member Criminal Justice Task Force brings together citizens, county councilmembers, the county executive, judges, the directors of all county departments dealing with public safety including the sheriff, prosecutors office, assigned counsel and jail, and others. Re-established by council resolution (R2008-20s), the task force was created in 1999 to suggest how to limit jail population through alternatives to incarceration and system improvements. It was convened again in 2003 and 2005 and disbanded in 2006.

The task force is set to deliver recommendations to the Pierce County Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee by August 1. It will be co-chaired by Pierce County Councilmembers Tim Farrell (District 4) and Dick Muri (District 6). Other members include:

• John Ladenburg, Pierce County Executive
• Thomas Larkin, Superior Court presiding judge
• James Heller, District Court presiding judge
• Gerald Horne, Pierce County prosecutor
• Michael Kawamura, Department of Assigned Counsel director
• Patrick Kenney, Budget and Finance Department director
• Paul Pastor, Pierce County sheriff
• Rob Masko, Pierce County Jail chief
• Matt Temmel, performance auditor coordinator
• Rollie Herman, citizen from the jail/courthouse vicinity
• Jeannie Peterson, citizen from the jail/courthouse vicinity
• Ken Witkoe, citizen at large

The task force’s meetings will be open to the public. They will be held the first and third Mondays of each month at 3:30 p.m. in the Pierce County Council chambers, 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Room 1045 (10th floor of the County-City Building).