Comments on: Columbia Falls Receptive to Prerelease Center Site
By hotfishmt on 12-22-09
GOLLY GEE…......HOW FAR IS IT FROM KALISPELL TO COLUMBIA FALLS…........MUST BE AT LEAST 2,000 MILES.WHY NOT GO WHERE SOME PEOPLE WANT IT….RATHER THAN SHOVE IT DOWN SOME PEOPLE THROATS THAT DON’T WANT IT ???? SIMPLE…...TOO SIMPLE FOR THE SEARCH TEAM.
ODDS ARE THE PRE-RELEASE PEOPLE DID NOT HOLD DOWN DESCENT JOBS ANYWAY. SO TEACH THEM NEW SKILLS…......PICKING UP ROADWAY TRASH. REPAIRING SIDEWALKS, PRUNING TREES, CLEARING HOMESITES OF OLD HULKS OF CARS-TRUCKS, LEARNING HOW TO DO A GOOD JOB…...NO MATTER HOW TRIVIAL.
By Kal61 on 12-22-09
Columbia Falls can have ‘em,,,,,but it REALLY bugs me to no end that someone can go out and commit a crime, go to prison, then get training,...paid for by “the people”. They will even help the ex-con find a job. On the other hand….the model citizen, who hasn’t commited any crimes or even gotten a parking ticket is kicked to the curb when the U.I. runs out and he can’t find another job.What is wrong with this picture?????
By woody on 12-22-09
I agree kal61 but if we just let these people out of prison with no skillsets, no jobs, no councelors, no support system etc we can pretty much guarantee that they’ll go right back to their meth sniffing life of crime…
and we surely don’t want that - as most people that are victims or criminals NEVER get reimbursed for their losses.
that said they should be forced to do community service - not fight for the unemployed for the decent jobs that may or may not even be there.
when there are little to no new jobs being created the answers are not easy to come by.
By Alice on 12-22-09
The CF City Manager and the council have NO IDEA what they’re doing! There is no city in this county that is more ill-equipped to handle a Prerelease Center than CF. They just closed their jail for heaven’s sake! This would be an undue increase for the CF Police Dept., in their efforts to protect our children, wives, families, and property.
The CF City Council mistakenly believes the Center will create jobs. WRONG! The Center has the “potential” of creating up to 23 positions for certified social workers or certified urine testers. It will not create any jobs beyond that. Based upon our lack of employment opportunities alone, the Center has NO BUSINESS going up in Flathead County.
Lake County wants a Prerelease Center. The Dept. of Corrections won’t go there because they claim there is not enough employment, yet they think we have sufficient employment here for 40 convicted felons (The DOC refuses to recognize we’ve got the highest unemployment rate in the state right now and upwards of 5000 people on the boards at the Job Service).
The first time an escapee hits a woman over the head for her purse or exposes himself to a school kid; it’ll hit the wire and be across the US in a nano-second. Our tourism industry won’t survive that kind of press and it’s practically the only industry we’ve got left.
The DOC needs to get the message. Stop trying to ram this down our throats! If the CF City Council won’t listen to us now, they’ll hear us loud and clear at the polls.
By dsrobins on 12-26-09
Actually, the ideal place to put the pre-release center is Evergreen. That way when the former inmates are released, they can easily walk home to their trailer parks nearby.
By dsrobins on 12-26-09
I’m just glad I don’t live in Evergreen or Columbia Falls. Bigfork suits me nicely and our community is not under consideration as a possible site for the pre-release center. Keep in mind that it is the state which is insisting on establishment of a pre-release center because of the high incidence of offenders who come from the Flathead area. Let’s face it, not many folks want something like this in their own back yard. Are you volunteering?
By Kal61 on 12-27-09
dsrobins…where do you get your information that the Flathead has the highest crime rate in the state? I think it is very rude of you to be so judgemental of a community. What makes Bigfork so special?
By Kalispell Native on 12-27-09
Kal61: dsrobins did not say “the Flathead has the highest crime rate in the state”. dsrobins said.” the high incidence of offenders who come from the Flathead”.
There is a difference between being #1 and being one of the top 10.
By Kal61 on 12-27-09
Oh, forgive my error K.N…...Ferndale has quite a few murders, and it’s close to bigfork. Maybe the center could be built there, then when the convicts get out, they can settle in bigfork. Sounds like a good idea to me.
By Kalispell Native on 12-27-09
Kal61: Love your dripping sarcasm. Hope you didn’t get any on ya. Even with Oxy-clean, it takes a couple of washings.
The views expressed in the comments section do not reflect those of the Beacon.