Vote ‘yes’ on Proposition 1 to save lives, money

On Nov. 6, Thurston County voters will be asked to increase the local portion of the sales tax three-tenths of 1 percent to go directly toward prevention/intervention programs and the criminal justice system. The Olympian’s editorial board encourages a “yes” vote on this tax increase.

When voters rejected the $88 million jail construction proposal three years ago, the loud message was that it was time to stop building bigger jails with more and more beds. Instead, voters wanted a focus on preventing crime in the first place. They understand that prevention and treatment programs save lives and tax dollars.

Sure, there will always be criminal activity. Those who break the law deserve to be tossed behind bars. But:

• Why not work as a community to help the 800 kids who drop out of school in this county every year get their diploma and steer them into a job instead of a life of crime?

• Why not intervene ahead of time with the 40 percent of kindergarten students who show up at the classroom door without being able to count or identify colors or succeed in schools?

• Why not provide family counseling before social workers are forced to add 934 kids each year to the list of victims of abuse and neglect?

• Why not expand drug court, where the recidivism rate is only 11 percent? Why do we continue to throw drug-addicted inmates into the general jail population, where 75 percent of them will be back in jail?

• Why not treat the mentally ill for their disease? Isn’t that cheaper and more humane than to accommodate them in homeless encampments or a jail cell?

That’s what Proposition 1 on the Nov. 6 general election ballot is all about — saving lives and dollars through prevention.

Leap of faith

No, it’s not a perfect ballot proposition. And yes, it requires taxpayers to take a leap of faith. We’re taking it on trust that the $10 million to $12 million this tax will raise every year will be spent effectively in programs that have proven track records and positive results.