Keep Bailing

Tuolumne County submitted an application, along with seven others, in order to receive funding from the state for a new jail complex. County officials were hoping for a maximum $33 million for the project. However, the county ranks lowest in priority among the small counties that applied.

The total cost of the proposed project in Tuolumne County Jail is estimated at $48 million. The other counties that applied for the small county category of funding are Kings, Shasta, Sutter, Madera, Imperial, San Benito and Siskiyou.

There is only $102 million available from the state for county corrections projects and the eight counties requested a total of Read more »

Santa Clara County jail has over 1,000 empty inmate beds but officials are still hoping to receive state funds for an overhaul and expansion of the jail system. The estimated cost of the expansion is $104 million, not including the millions in operating costs each year.

Due to the new California realignment plan, counties all across the state are taking a closer look at their jail facilities. Many of them, like Los Angeles County, are already facing severe overcrowding in the jails. While Santa Clara County does not have an overwhelming influx of inmates, they have other issues.

Jails in Santa Clara are not built to hold inmates for extended periods of time. Cells may have wooden Read more »

California’s prison realignment is continuing to cause waves throughout the state.  Most recently, it’s been reported that low-level offenders who previously helped clear brush and cut fire lines, will no longer be able to serve in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Conservation Camp Program after they’re transferred from state to county jails.

The primary mission of the Conservation Camp program is to provide agencies with an able-bodied, trained work force for fire suppression and other emergencies such as floods and earthquakes.

According to statistics provided by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in an average year, Conservation Camp Program inmates provide approximately three million person hours in firefighting and other emergencies and save California taxpayers more than $80 million annually, on average.

The challenge lies in that many county jails, such as Los Angeles jails and San Diego jails, are releasing Read more »

A lot has happened with the state’s numerous jails in the past 12 months.  Between celebrity arrests, jail over-crowding, budget cuts and prisoner realignment, state lawmakers and law enforcement officials have had their plates full. Now, with 2011 fast approaching its close, we thought we’d go back and highlight the top 10 jail headlines of the year.

#10 Santa Maria Jail And Gang Unit Faces Cuts

The Santa Maria jail and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s gang unit received notification that they were in jeopardy of being shut down as a means of helping to bridge the county’s $72 million budget gap. Sheriff’s deputies did not take the proposal lightly, although they acknowledged the need for budget cuts.  Officials estimated that closing the jail could save $1.2 million annually.

#9 LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Opens

Although many were excited about the February opening of the $84 million downtown Los Angeles facility, others pointed to concerns that the jail would take 83 officers off the street to help operate it. Once opened, the Metro Center Jail replaced the antiquated, 50 year-old Parker Center Jail.

#8 Plea Deal And No Jail Time For Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson made a plea deal with prosecutors this year which meant he did not need to face jail time for his 2010 domestic violence charges. As part of the deal Gibson pled guilty to misdemeanor battery charges for an altercation involving his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. He was, however, ordered to undergo counseling as part of that agreement.

#7 Merced Sheriff Proposes Closing Main Jail

In May of 2011, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin suggested the closure of the main jail as a means of helping to close the county’s $20 million budget deficit.  He further proposed the early release of 150-200 inmates and the elimination of 20 correctional officers.  The closure, he said would trim $8 million from the sheriff’s $40 million budget.

#6  San Francisco County Jail Will No Longer Hold ICE Inmates

Starting June 1, the San Francisco County Jail implemented a policy which exempted it from detaining illegal immigrants who had been arrested for petty crimes. This was the first time in the history of California that this type of policy was enacted.  Law enforcement officials said that the county was not obligated to assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless a felony crime had been committed.

#5 Costa Mesa Considers Outsourcing for Jail

Law enforcement officials in Costa Mesa joined others from throughout the state in searching for creative solutions to help bridge budget gaps. Part of that solution involved putting out a request for proposal (RFP) to seek a private firm take over jail operations. A bid from the firm G4S to run the Costa Mesa Jail came with an approximate annual cost of $614,000. Proponents of the plan pointed out that this was a marked reduction from the $1.3 million it cost to run the facility under the city’s police department.

#4 California Jails Ordered To Reduce Prison Population

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California needed to reduce its prisoner population by 30,000.  CA Gov. Jerry Brown then proposed “realigning” prisons as a means of compliance.  Instead of low-level, non-violent non-sexual offenders serving out their sentences in state facilities, Brown proposed they be transferred to county facilities instead. The realignment concept sparked concern from sheriff’s departments throughout the state, including the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

#3 Alleged Beating at Twin Towers Spawns Internal Investigation

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department found itself under the microscope for most of 2011 after allegations that two Sheriff’s Deputies beat a Twin Towers Jail inmate unconscious.  The Jan. 24 log of the incident said the “inmate was punching the deputies until they had no other choice but to tase him”.   The American Civil Liberties Union said that charges like this are not uncommon but are hard to prove because the inmate-witnesses to the alleged crimes are not considered to be credible.

#2 LA County Board Of Supervisors: Jails Need More Oversight

After months of internal investigations the LA County Board of Supervisors agreed with suggestions that county jails needed more oversight.  As of Oct. 20, two plans were being considered.  The first proposed the instillation of surveillance cameras, eliminating the use of heavy flashlights and steel-toed shoes, and the implementation of a ban that would prohibit deputies from striking inmates on the head.  Plan number two would establish an independent review commission that would look into complaints. The supervisors hoped this would help restore public confidence in the Los Angeles County Jail system.

#1 Read more »

Last October, only a few California Counties were formally invited to apply for up to $100 million in state funding. San Mateo County was not one of them, but county officials are still optimistic about their chances to qualify for the money.

Compared to other competing counties, San Mateo was considered low in the priority for state funding. The county was ranked ninth in the large county population category, falling behind the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Kern, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Fresno.

The main deciding factor in the ranking of the counties was how many inmates each county sends to state corrections centers each year. For Los Angeles County, that number is near 19,000 inmates. In San Bernardino, approximately 5,800 inmates are transferred to state facilities. San Mateo County only sends about 560 inmates annually.

County officials are hopeful that, if one of the other counties drops out of contention, San Mateo County will have a good chance of securing funding. The site for the new jail has already been purchased and planning is currently underway. The estimated total building cost for the new facility is $165 million. State money could cover more than half of that amount, reducing the amount of debt San Mateo County will face.

Regardless of whether or not San Mateo receives state funds, the plans to build a new jail will move forward. Overcrowding has continued to plague the San Mateo County corrections system, with Read more »

The Los Angeles Times reported that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has announced that the Chowchilla women’s jail in Madera County will be converted to house low-and-medium level male inmates, instead.

The CDCR said the conversion will help to alleviate the adult male inmate overcrowding problem and avoid staff layoffs at the institution.

The conversion is scheduled to happen in three phases and is expected to be complete by July 2013.  The facility currently houses 3,171 female inmates.  The level of male inmates and staff is expected to be similar once the project is complete. The conversion at Chowchilla will allow the CDCR to create additional space for male inmates by using an existing facility while maintaining its workforce.

The CDCR said that with the implementation of the California jail realignment that the department expects Read more »

The Orange County Register Tuesday reported that the County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to add 512 beds to the James A. Musick jail. This decision, the OCR said, paves the way for Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to apply for a $100 million state grant. The county will not know whether they will receive the grant funding until early 2013.  Construction, if approved, would not reach completion until 2018.

Although a number of residents have voiced opposition to the plan Sheriff’s officials maintain that the facility will “continue to house minimum security inmates” only.   The expansion is needed, they said, due to the state’s prison realignment program.  Proponents of the plan have pointed out that Orange County jails received close to 300 new inmates during the first month of implementation alone.

Eventually, plans for the facility would include expanding the 1,250-bed facility to 7,500 beds.  The cost to operate the expanded facility would be approximately $28 million per year.  Sources within the Sheriff’s Department said that funding sources Read more »

Costly Renovations Proposed for Pitchess Detention Center and Men’s Central Jail.

Our Inside California Jails Series…
The LA County Board of Supervisors has been asked to approve a proposal which would allocate $1,4 billion to renovate two LA County jails.   The improvements outlined in the plan would include the modernization of the downtown Men’s Central Jail as well as the addition of 400 bets to Pitchess Detention Center.

Proponents of the plan say that spending the money now would equate to long-term cost savings to the county.  Opponents, however, point to the weak economy and question whether taking on such a marked expense is prudent at the current time.

Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds continues with our twelfth series in our California Jails: Inside the Los Angeles County Jails.

Here, we’ll fill you in on:

• How California’s Prison Realignment Plan Could Read more »

It has been barely 60 days since California began shifting prisoners from state to county jails. A number of counties have already begun feeling the pinch of increase capacity, wondering how long it will take before what remaining beds they have are filled.

The Mercury News has reported that state corrections officials are saying that although they are receiving more prisoners than initially expected that it’s still too soon to panic.

Los Angeles and Riverside County jails initially believed they could reach capacity by the close of 2011.  Spokespeople from both counties have since delayed the timeline.  Still, LA County Sheriffs officials are considering releasing less-serious offenders early with the stipulation that they continue to be monitored with GPS-ankle bracelets.

Orange County Jail officials have said that “more than 60 detainees had to sleep on the jail floor until beds could be made available”.    Fresno County Jail has recently said they will no longer detain parole violators for minor infractions. Those who have been caught committing new crimes could be readmitted.

Reportedly judges are no longer permitted to send Read more »

The Fresno Bee last week reported that the Fresno County Sheriff Department parole violators will no longer be held at the Fresno County Jail.  The decision, the Sheriff’s Office said, is due to a lack of room based on recent overcrowding and the need to keep open beds reserved for more dangerous inmates.

Parolees are now considered to be a lesser threat and although those violating the terms of their release by doing things such as consuming alcohol will not be sent back to jail, those who commit new crimes while out on parole may “qualify for jail time depending on their on their offense.”

Fresno joins a growing-number of counties who are scrambling to deal with fast-growing inmate populations under the state’s prisoner realignment program.  On Nov. 8, 139 state parolees were being held at the jail, which was more than all the inmates the county was expecting to hold at this stage of realignment.

Parolees had previously been remanded to state prison if they violated the terms of their release.  State parole officials have since said Read more »