In Our Opinion: County Commissioners failing on new jail

With the news this month that the Spokane County Commissioners are backing off their push to rezone the land and get a bond vote for a new jail in the West Plains, now seems like a good time to zoom out and take a look at this situation as a whole.

A new jail is needed—the Geiger Corrections Center is crowded and dilapidated, a hazard for inmates and workers alike. But that's about where our agreement with the commissioners ends.

The commissioners, our elected leaders, have acted irresponsibly throughout this process, most notably by ignoring the results of studies meant to bring fairness to t...