Long-term inmates from the city of Snoqualmie can now be housed at an Eastern Washington jail, under a new contract officials say will bring significant savings to the city.
The Snoqualmie City Council approved the change Oct. 9, inking a deal with the south-central Washington city of Sunnyside for access to its jail. The facility will be used for inmates with long-term sentences, meaning greater than 30 days, police said.
The city currently houses its inmates at the Issaquah Jail — and SCORE Jail in Des Moines when beds are unavailable in Issaquah.
Interim Snoqualmie Police Chief Brian Lynch said the city will continue to house inmates with shorter sentences at those facilities, but noted inmates with longer sentences could be moved depending on available bed space.
The city currently has seven inmates serving sentences over 30 days, Lynch said, a few of which could be transported to Sunnyside.
“Most likely [Sunnyside] won’t be able to take all seven, but at least they would take two or three [inmates], which would be a help,” he told the city’s public safety committee.
Transferring inmates is partially influenced by rising costs and overcrowding at jail facilities in King County, Lynch said. According to the city, police pay a rate of $147 per day for confinement at the Issaquah Jail and $199 for the SCORE Jail.
For the Sunnyside Jail, the city would pay a base fee of $60 per day for confinement in 2023. Costs would rise 5% for each following year.
If Sunnyside took all seven of its long-term inmates, the city estimates it would result in a savings of $56,000 over the term of their incarceration.
“This would save us money – a significant amount – and save police time,” Councilmember and Public Safety Committee Chair Cara Christensen said.
Following an approved transfer request, a shuttle operated by the Sunnyside Jail would pick up inmates from Western Washington jails every Friday, Lynch said, and transport them to Sunnyside. Upon release, inmates would receive a bus ticket back to the area, he said.
