By George Hurst / Herald Forum
For almost three years the Lynnwood City Council has deliberated over a new Community Justice Center (CJC) that would replace the crowded 25-year-old municipal courthouse, jail and police headquarters.
On Sept. 13, the City Council approved the construction contract including what the police department describes as a “re-imagined misdemeanor jail.” But this vote was not an easy decision.
What had been a smooth path toward approval of the justice center scheduled for July 26 was suddenly halted, following the suicide death at the current Lynnwood jail of Tirhas Tesfatsion on July 13. The ensuing outcry by the Tesfatsion family for justice and the hours of public comment by local and national voices demanding the delay or cancellation of the CJC resulted in a hold on the approval of the construction contract until September.
During the month of August, Mayor Nicola Smith created an 18-member task force to review the CJC plan. State Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, and Lynnwood Police Chief Jim Nelson served as co-chairs. At the Sept. 7 City Council meeting the task force recommended a reduction in the size of the new jail creating, space for the construction of a Community Resource Center (CRC). The three-story CRC will provide addiction and mental health services for the region, not just for the incarcerated but for all community members who seek help.
The funding for the construction of the CRC is a joint commitment of both Snohomish County and state money. Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and the entire County Council have pledged $3 million. The state lawmakers of the 32nd Legislative District, Reps. Davis and Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, and Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline have made it a top priority to obtain state dollars that have been designated for the construction of mental health facilities.
The combined Community Justice Center and the Community Recovery Center will provide a continuum of addiction and mental health treatments that can change lives. The recidivism prevalent in the misdemeanor legal system can be broken. Not only will Lynnwood have a re-imagined misdemeanor jail but the Ccity has the opportunity to redefine the meaning of misdemeanor justice.
George Hurst is president of the Lynnwood City Council.
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