PORT ANGELES — Don Veon believes that inmates at the Clallam County jail are entitled to religious counseling.
“They have done wrong, and they need to have the opportunity to make things right,” said Veon, 70, who is the jail minister for the Light in the City Church of God in Port Angeles.
“In worldly things and also with God.”
Veon is scheduled to visit the jail every second Sunday monthly in a rotation with other clergy.
But in recent months he has been denied access to inmates, including last Sunday.
Overcrowding, Veon says, is the reason most often cited for denying him entrance to the jail.
Jail often overcrowded
More often than not, the jail is housing more men and women than it is designed for and has been about 20 percent to 30 percent overcapacity for months.
Veon’s religious services are often held in the jail library, which is currently housing inmates.
When he has held services, Veon said between 15 to 20 inmates will attend depending on the jail population.
Weekends often see the most dramatic increase in prisoners, where the jail’s population can swell to dozens over its 96-inmate capacity.
Clallam County Undersheriff Rich Sill, who has been tasked with getting the jail population below capacity, said when the jail has less people, Sunday religious services will resume.
He also said the Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the jail administrator, is working to relieve the pressure.
