SANDPOINT — Bonner County Jail is deemed inadequate to meet the needs of justice service workers and impedes inmates’ constitutional rights, according to a recent jail assessment overview that occurred Thursday.  

On June 12, community members gathered at Kootenai Community Church to hear an overview of the jail assessment process that took place throughout the week, coordinated through the National Institute of Corrections and initiated by Kathryn Bryan of Detention Operations, LLC and Patrick Jablonski, Ph.D, of Harpeth Research.  

The pair shared an overview of their assessment, highlighting the main issues with the jail in addition to some statistics correlating to the number of booked inmates a day and the average duration of stay in the jail.  

Structural issues 

Bryan was the first to present, sharing pictures of the jail that raised concerns of constitutional infringement. Bryan highlighted that when the jail was built, it did not address concerns from a 1989 NIC assessment.  

“What they found in your old jail continued with your new building," Bryan said. The new building does not address any of the findings in the 1989 NIC report. So, we found a lot of the same things.”   

Following that statement, Bryan acknowledged that there was limited space for programming, referring to a broadband of services offered to inmates. The room where inmates can participate in programming opportunities is a “cramped room, where inmates sit elbow to elbow and knee to knee,” according to Bryan.  

Bryan then shared a picture of the sallyport, a secure entryway into the jail. While Bryan didn’t go into detail about the issues relating to the sallyport, she did note that the sallyport can be “the most violent time for an inmate,” as they’ve fully realized there’s “no getting out of jail.” 

Among other concerns is the allocated kitchen space. The designated kitchen area lacks the proper space necessary to function properly, according to Bryan, and is not large enough to safely hold inmate workers, a kitchen manager and security staff. The number of objects in a kitchen that could be used as a weapon posed other dangers if appropriate staffing couldn’t adequately fit in the kitchen.    

Similar to the kitchen, the jail’s medical center is also crammed, limiting the in-house doctor in providing adequate care to inmates.  

“The day that we toured the jail, the doctor was in the house, and the only space he had to examine an inmate was in the hallway in full view of staff, cameras, visitors, everybody,” said Bryan. “It's a privacy concern, it's a safety concern and it's also a budgetary concern. The clinic is so small that the fantastic nurse that you have in there is incapable of doing a lot of nursing things in-house because of a lack of space for more equipment and more exam room.” 

Bryan also raised concerns for the internal and external storage spaces, the laundry room and the booking/release desk.  

Aside from spacing issues, Bryan noted that the jail layout is a major constitutional concern by prohibiting inmates from the ability to seek help when needed and confidentially communicate with their legal representatives.  

“The way the jail is designed prohibits jail staffing from spending any significant time with the inmate population,” she said.  “They're not in person, making sure that they can prevent things from happening. They're not in person to see some mental health issues starting to develop. They're not in person when an inmate gets bad news from his public defender or from the courts that send that inmate into a spiral. The cameras can't pick that up, officers watching cameras is not designed to supplant officers being in with the inmates, and the physical design of this facility absolutely prohibits that engagement.” 

The jail not being in proximity to the courthouse was thoroughly discussed as well by Bryan. She referenced the time it takes mail to arrive at the jail, in addition to the distance barrier and the lack of privacy that’s given to an inmate who wants to communicate with their lawyer.   

“There is basically one attorney visitation room at the jail, and it is not designed as that. There is zero privacy so people in the public lobby of the jail can hear private interaction, protected interaction, between inmates and their legal representation,” said Bryan.  

Population assessment 

After Bryan’s presentation, Jablonski gave insight into the statistical side of the jail’s population. Jablonski shared his pleasure in finding that the county jail did not suffer from extreme overcrowding like other jails he had assessed before. While his statistics didn’t indicate direct flaws with the jail and justice system, Jablonski encouraged the community to take a deep look into his findings.  

According to Jablonski’s numbers, the jail’s average daily population is 7.5% lower than in 2024. With that, the average daily bookings are 11% lower than in 2024.  

Despite the decline in average bookings, Jablonski shared that the average length of stay for an inmate in the detention center is 28 days, as opposed to the average length of 13 days in 2017. Jablonski noted this change due to the seriousness of the crimes that were committed by current inmates.  

“The proportion of felons is relatively high, like we see in every county jail. But you have individuals who have a violent offense or a violent original offense and they violated their probation. You have individuals who face charges of a sex offense nature. People that present a clear threat or risk to public safety, their matters take longer to resolve in court, and so the average length of stay for the jail population, has crept up over time,” said Jablonski.  

Jablonski went further to include the jail population according to gender, where the females make up 25% of the population, as opposed to the nationwide average of 14%.  

Next steps forward  

Bryan and Jablonski have two weeks to complete an in-depth analysis of their assessment, which will be shared with Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. Their findings will then be taken into consideration by county officials. 

In their overview, Bryan noted that having the jail, courthouse and public defense office in proximity to each other would be an ideal situation for the county and limit their risk of potential lawsuits.  

“You have been fortunate. Thus far, you have squeaked by on the strength of the character of your criminal justice leaders. The people we interviewed were profoundly passionate about what they do,” Bryan said. "They are profoundly committed to the criminal justice system, to the citizens and to taxpayer money, but they are at their limits. And so, if I sound like the voice of doom and Chicken Little with the sky falling in, it is because that's what my observations are.” 

While there are no steps in place yet, Sheriff Wheeler said that any actions taken by the jail will go before the county for consideration.  

Background 

In a Facebook post made May 29, Wheeler announced a jail and justice system assessment that would start June 10. The two-and-a-half-day assessment was funded by a National Institution of Corrections grant and is aimed to provide an unbiased evaluation of the jail and justice systems. 

“There has been a multitude of community conversations concerning the need to expand or remodel our aging jail and the need for a criminal justice center co-located next to the jail. I wanted expert advice from professionals, who could make an unbiased assessment of our current jail and justice system,” said Wheeler in a Facebook post. 

    Jail program room
  

    Bonner County Jail kitchen
  

    Bonner County Jail medical center