Smart Justice Spokane has sent a letter about the five in-custody deaths of Peter O’Brien, John Everitt, Lorenzo Haynes, Scott Stevens, and Tammy Sue Hienen that have occurred this year. The letter, to the Spokane Board of County Commissioners, Spokane Regional Law & Justice Council, and Acting Criminal Justice Administrator Dr. Jacqueline van Wormer, expresses “We believe that the jail should be a place where everyone is safe and receives appropriate health care, including a health assessment at booking.”
Smart Justice Spokane requests investigation and transparency and concludes “We also request that Spokane County and the Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council respond to the findings, advise the community of its plan to make the jail safer, and describe how the efforts will be evaluated.”