There are more criminals in Clallam County than cells to hold them.
As of Saturday, the Clallam County jail in Port Angeles was about 45 percent over capacity, which has led to myriad problems.
A staph infection resistant to antibiotics has spread among inmates.
Fights among inmates are a regular occurrence. On average, there is about a fight a week, said Wendy Peterson, administrative sergeant for corrections.
There were two fights on Saturday, Sheriff Joe Martin said.
Inmates are sleeping on the floor for extended periods in violation of the law, and even floor space is becoming scarce.
In 2002, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington won a lawsuit against Jefferson County over treatment of its jail inmates.
Martin and jail commanders say a lawsuit over the treatment of inmates in Clallam County is almost inevitable.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Martin said.
In the meantime, safety valves are being explored to relieve the pressure, including restrictions on which crimes will result in a person being booked into jail, opening a shuttered wing of the jail and renting space in the city of Forks’ jail.
But in the long run — about five years from now — Martin said that a new jail, or an addition to the jail, will have to be built.
‘Business’ increasing
The increase in the jail population can be traced to a jump in “business,” Martin said.
The number of felony and gross misdemeanor cases charged by the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has more than doubled over the past 10 years, according to data from Clallam County Superior Court.
The Clallam County jail opened in 1980 in the basement of the courthouse.
A ballot measure in 1997 that would have increased the county’s sales tax by one-tenth of a cent to pay for 30 new beds in an expanded jail was overwhelmingly defeated by voters, 13,001 to 9,491.
A consultant’s study conducted before the ballot measure went to voters said that by 2005 the jail would need beds to lodge 205 inmates.
Counting holding cells, the jail can house 96 inmates. But functionally, the number is 88, Peterson said.
On Saturday, the jail population was 128, and that was after booking restrictions were imposed.
