– Editor’s note:
The Yelm city council is set to renew the contract with the Nisqually jail for services.
The council needs to understand these issues:
* Yelm’s incarcerated citizens are housed on sovereign tribal land,
* Tribe jail is not subject to public records disclosure,
* Did Nisqually Jail staff comply with proper training and regulations as required by counties and cities?


– “Scrutiny for Nisqually jail after shoplifting suspect has stroke during 19 days in custody”
“The Nisqually tribe’s jail is again under scrutiny after a 43-year-old Lacey man, arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, spent 19 days in custody and suffered a stroke, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.”

“This isn’t the first time the jail has been the focus of a lawsuit.

“In 2017, The Olympian reported that 19-year-old Andrew J. Westling died in his cell April 12, about 24 hours after his arrest for causing a disturbance at a Yelm service station. Westling suffered from a heart condition and had notified jail staff about it, but he didn’t receive proper medical attention, the lawsuit alleged.

“In that case, Westling’s attorney sued the city of Yelm. The city later settled the case for $375,000; the Nisqually tribe paid an undisclosed amount.

“Westling’s attorney also sought to challenge the legality of Yelm’s contract with a jail that’s located on sovereign tribal land, The Olympian reported. That sovereignty means the tribe is not subject to public records disclosure, and it was unclear whether Nisqually Jail staff had complied with proper training and regulations as required by counties and cities, according to The Olympian,” by Rolf Boone, The Olympian.
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