Letter: Recent jail coverage sets the right tone

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Thanks for your recent in-depth coverage of the Buncombe County Detention Center [“On the Inside: Waiting for Justice in the Buncombe County Jail,” Nov. 27, Xpress]. Reporter Virginia Daffron’s article was informative, and I especially appreciated how the piece afforded incarcerated people basic human dignity and agency. This kind of humanizing discourse needs to be embraced more broadly within our community if the county is to meet even its modest goals of reducing the jail population by 15% and providing more and better services for those in detention.

This is because policing and incarceration are dynamically interrelated. As Ms. Daffron’s article points out (and as the county’s plan attests), recent trends point toward support for decarceration; but such laudable goals exist uneasily alongside increasingly aggressive demands that APD increase patrols and arrests, especially in response to nonviolent drug and “quality of life” offenses like panhandling, loitering and intoxication.

As many readers will no doubt be aware, antipathy over these and related issues has been growing for some time now, particularly in rapidly gentrifying areas like West Asheville. Despite a complex mix of factors, at the heart of these debates lies a question of values: Do we seek to criminalize and punish people who are socially and economically marginalized or to engage in an ethic of care and respect toward all community members?

Ultimately, policy goals and policing culture flow from these values. In the final analysis, the dehumanizing discourse of “removing undesirables,” which has become sadly normalized and increasingly vicious as of late, is irreconcilable with achieving the county’s stated goals. Hats off to Ms. Daffron and Mountain Xpress for modeling a better path forward.

— Julie Schneyer
Volunteer, Asheville Prison Books
West Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Letter: Recent jail coverage sets the right tone

  1. Enlightened Enigma

    ‘rapidly gentrifying areas like West Asheville’ … no that is NOT the case at all…SLOWLY gentrifying is more accurate… AVLMGGA! Make Asheville Gentrification GREAT again!

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.