The 2011 Public Safety Realignment encompassed in AB 109 redefines many felonies and shifts responsibilities to local jurisdictions for the housing and rehabilitation of many offenders. It represents an intentional effort to remove from California prisons – permanently – those offenders who arguably represent the least danger to their community and who have the highest capacity for reform and rehabilitation. The legislation empowered the Community Corrections Partnership to make recommendations on how to mitigate and manage impacts by Realignment.
The Community Corrections Partnership allocated $6.2 million for fiscal year 2012/13. Nine strategies were funded under their direction and approved by the Board of Supervisors July 24th, 2012. Those strategies include:
1. Maintain Jail Bed Capacity ($942,860)
2. Electronic Monitoring ($586,000)
3. Community Corrections Case Management ($1,647,804)
4. Local Law Enforcement ($400,000)
5. Long Term Planning ($150,000)
6. Additional AB 109 Dedicated Beds to total 75 at Leinberger Facility ($627,823)
7. Treatment Services and Day Reporting Center ($1,000,000)
8. Pre-Trial Program ($499,196)
9. Supplemental Funding for District Attorney’s Office ($425,000)
The Community Corrections Partnership elected to conduct a review of AB 109’s system impacts building on the work that the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) performed under the Bureau of Justice Assistance Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). A proposal of additional services was requested of CJI outside of the scope of their efforts under JRI. A brief of CJI and their scope of proposed services are listed below:
The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) at Community Resources for Justice strives to make criminal and juvenile justice systems more efficient and cost effective, and to promote accountability for achieving better outcomes. CJI provides nonpartisan policy analysis, consulting, and research services to improve public safety throughout the country. With a reputation built over many decades for innovative thinking, unbiased issue analysis, and effective policy advocacy, CJI's strength lies in our ability to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice in public institutions and communities, and provide evidence-based, results-driven recommendations. With our creative, collaborative approaches to today's most pressing and complex social and public safety problems, CJI is improving public safety and human service delivery nationwide.
CJI completed a brief assessment and presented their findings to the Community Corrections Partnership on May 20th and the Board of Supervisors on May 21st regarding the following:
1) Their facilitation of a meeting with CCP members or their designees to map the current intervention continuum and identify resources committed, expected program models, utilization, level of implementation, and desired outcomes. This comprehensive system map guided the assessment of each intervention.
2) Completion of an on-site assessment of three of those strategic areas Electronic Monitoring (Sheriff), Community Corrections Case Management (Probation), and Pre-Trial Probation.
3) Development of a literature review on the design and effectiveness of Yolo’s realignment interventions, including cost-benefit information where available. This research provided the county with guidance on the potential return on their investment, as well as a benchmark for the County’s current efforts.
Next steps:
Upon receiving the CJI Assessment Report a day prior to the May 21st Board presentation, the Community Corrections Partnership (including the two partner agencies under review) discussed the findings and recommendations presented by consultants from the Crime and Justice Institute. Direction was given at the May 20th CCP meeting to develop a response matrix of the CJI recommendations in order to track implementation of the same. The recommended CCP matrix will include evaluation of additional programming needs. The matrix will be presented at the June 10th CCP meeting and will include budget impacts where applicable.
Directly responding to this report, Probation and the Sheriff’s Department established the CJI Assessment Response Team to collaboratively develop cooperative strategies to both respond to the CJI report and take advantage of other opportunities to efficiently manage the jailed and supervised offender populations. Participants include Sheriff Prieto, Undersheriff Lopez and jail administrative staff, Interim Probation Chief Yarber and administrative staff, and Tracie Olson of the Public Defender’s Office. This group met Friday, May 24th and identified several strategies to refine Electronic Monitoring, Community Corrections Case Management, and Probation Pre-trial:
- The electronic monitoring program has been reorganized to incorporate existing jail and patrol staff for an additional ramp-up of electronic monitoring. Preliminary estimates given by the Undersheriff promise a movement from 41 participants (as of 5/24/13) up to between 65 and 80 in the next month. That would account for currently screened offenders awaiting placement into the program. In addition, probation and jail staff will assess the collaborative screen and release of additional jailed offenders awaiting trial to either electronic monitoring or pretrial supervision.
- Probation going forward shall provide a list, broken out by city/unincorporated area, of all supervised offenders so the Sheriff’s Department can assist with 24/7 response and supervision. The departments will consider adopting an MOU similar to those in existence with each local police department. This collaboration will potentially enhance capacity for electronic monitoring and pretrial.
- Probation will include an integrated case-management system among strategies for next year’s realignment funding (one-time cost, less data migration and licensing). Resultant system could provide read-access by law enforcement partners and treatment providers and allow for direct input by the same when offender contact is made.
- Probation and Sheriff will assess both of their electronic monitoring contracts (3M and BI respectively ) and determine if it is more efficient to integrate to a single contract – which may facilitate ease of information sharing related to EM/GPS violations.
- Probation pretrial staff and jail staff will meet to discuss options to implement needs-assessments to the EM population.
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| Other agencies involved include the Sheriff’s Office, County Administrator, District Attorney, Public Defender, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health, West Sacramento Police Department, and Yolo County Superior Courts. |