A 'revolving door' for criminals on Navajo Nation

Friday, May 4, 2007  

The Navajo Nation is seeking $2.2 million from the federal government to address what one official called a "revolving door" for criminals.

The tribe only has 80 jail beds on its three-state reservation. That means most offenders are going free.

"It's a revolving door, and it's going faster," Dolores Greyeyes, the director of the tribe's Department of Corrections, told the Associated Press.

Two jails on the reservation have been shut down for safety and health reasons. Three jails remain open but they are falling apart. Another jail can only be used on a temporary basis.

Hope MacDonald LoneTree, the chairwoman of the Navajo Nation Council's Public Safety Committee, has been asking lawmakers for money to fix the problem. She said the $2.2 million would cover temporary repairs, overtime and mileage costs to transport inmates and leasing of spaces off the reservation.

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Dwindling jail space, poor conditions prompt calls for change (AP 5/4)
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Inspector General Final Jail Report:
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