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Jail will begin turning away lawful drunks Instead, they'll go to county's Sobering Unit or to hospital By JILL BRISKEY Starting July 1, Jackson County's jail will no longer accept intoxicated people who haven't broken the law. The rule will apply to everyone, according to Lt. Jim Warren, even to people who have the potential to hurt themselves or others. "We're really the last place, by statute, that drunks go when they haven't committed a crime," Warren said. "This has been in the works for some time. Lodging them creates an extreme liability for the sheriff's office." Unlike California, Oregon does not outlaw public intoxication. That leaves police in Jackson County with few ways to handle inebriated but law-abiding people who have no place to go but can potentially cause harm. Men and women who are drunk or high on drugs can be released to a sober adult, lodged in Jackson County Health and Human Services' Sobering Unit, or taken to a hospital for medical treatment. As a last resort, Warren said police can take a person to jail in order to sober up. That was acceptable in 1993, Warren said, when only four drunken people were lodged. It wasn't OK, Warren added, when the number spiked to 85 in 1999 and 65 in 2000. Before a person can be released from jail, Warren said the blood alcohol level must register .05 percent or less. The legal limit for drivers is .08 percent. "Somebody charged with a crime is released so this drunk can sober up because of the (federally imposed) cap," Warren said. "That isn't right." In addition to taking up space in an already-crowded jail, Warren said corrections deputies have not been trained to recognize or deal with certain medical conditions that can result in confusion, hallucinations, severe shaking, paranoia or death. Most often, noncriminal, inebriated people are taken to Jackson County's Sobering Unit on Front Street, according to manager Steve Brummett. "We put that person in a locked environment," Brummett said. "We put them in a safe, friendly place." An estimated 1,700 people will visit the Sobering Unit every year, Brummett said. Open 24 hours, seven days a week, the center has a large, locked room with a toilet inside - it holds a maximum of 11 people. Names and information on intoxicated people who are lodged in the Sobering Unit or jail for no other reason than being inebriated are kept confidential. The Sobering Unit also has two isolated, smaller rooms with toilets - each for a single occupant. The small rooms are reserved for women, mentally ill or aggressive and violent visitors. During their stay, visitors hand over all personal items, shoes and belts. They are given a mat and blanket and are offered soup or water. The staff will periodically take their blood pressure. Visual checks of the room are made every 30 minutes. The average stay is eight hours, according to health assistant Gene Hyrup. "We try to keep them out of jail. Nobody gets hurt and nobody dies," Hyrup said. Intoxicated people are brought into the Sobering Unit by police. To leave, a person's blood alcohol level must have dropped to .05 or below. Drug users are given a "mental status exam" and the staff decides if they're able to leave. "We're not a 'detox,' " Brummett said, referring to closed detoxification centers for long-term treatment of substance abusers. "People leave before they reach any serious level of withdrawal." Brummett doesn't anticipate a huge increase in visitors as a result of Warren's decision. From July 2000 to date, the Sobering Unit turned away a total of 70 intoxicated people because of overcrowding. Those who do visit the Sobering Unit are given referrals to social services, such as a place to get food, clothing or treatment. A doctor and nurse are on call, as well as Jackson County mental health staff. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.