Document text
45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 17, 2004 Budget cuts to force closure of detox center By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune With no place to dry out, some of the county’s drunks may go to jail, forcing the release of prisoners charged with more serious crimes. Jackson County plans to close its downtown Medford sobering center April 30, the result of state budget cuts. The center has provided intoxicated people who may pose a risk to themselves or others but who have not committed a crime with a place to sober up 24 hours a day, seven days a week since 1992. "There’s no options probably but to leave them on the street," said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran. Located at Third and Front streets, the center admitted 2,161 people last year compared to 1,785 in 2002. Nearly 45 percent of those detained in 2003 were lodged at the center more than once, according to statistics gathered by the county Health and Human Services Department. Letting one person dry out for an approximate eight-hour period costs about $115, said Hank Collins, director of health and human services. "I personally don’t think we can continue to spend a hundred dollars per admission on a group of people who aren’t committed to doing anything about their problem," Collins said. Advertisement The sobering unit was underwritten with $100,000 from the county’s general fund, $60,000 in taxes from beer and wine sales and $82,500 from the state’s budget for alcohol and drug treatment, which has been cut over the past year. In hopes of keeping the center open, local city governments and hospitals donated $44,000 to help offset the shortfall. But that was slightly more than half of the funds needed to maintain services, Collins said. As a result, the center has been closed each week since Jan 4 between 3 a.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Tuesday. Police said they have seen little effect from the existing weekly closure, planned for the center’s least busy days. However, a total shutdown may result in more drunken people taken to jail charged with minor crimes, police officials have said. "If the detox option is out, sometimes we have to enforce more minor violations," Moran said. While the jail has not accepted drunken prisoners for the sole purpose of sobering them up since 1998, the jail cannot release intoxicated inmates until their blood-alcohol level is .05 percent or until a friend or family member agrees to care for them, said Lt. Dan Penland of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. That policy may put more serious offenders out on the street if the jail does not have enough beds for everyone, said Penland, who manages the jail. The county jail has 279 beds, but under a federal court order the county must limit the inmate population to 255. Pending approval of the county commissioners, that number will shrink to 230 because of staffing constraints within the sheriff’s department, Penland said. The jail typically releases between 65 and 85 inmates each week to meet the cap. Acknowledging the challenge involved with managing the jail’s population, police will have to carefully consider the circumstances before lodging more drunks on minor charges, Moran said. The public will likely just see more inebriated people on the streets, he said. Collins said he has no plans to restore funding for the sobering center in July, adding that he will recommend that county money previously dedicated to sobering be transferred to mental health services. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers