ORR Program Background
Starting in 2008, Yolo County entered into consecutive agreements with the federal government to provide beds at the Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) for Unaccompanied Children who met Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) secure placement criteria. On October 8, 2019, the Board of Supervisors decided to not pursue another agreement to host the ORR secure placement program after the current agreement ends on January 31, 2020. The Board also directed staff to increase its advocacy for ORR youth to transition out of the JDF to the least restrictive placement possible.
On October 8, there were 12 ORR youth in the JDF. An additional 2 ORR youth were placed in the JDF for a total of 14 ORR youth in Yolo County’s care since October 8. These ORR youths have been transferred out of the JDF as follows:
| Transferred to a less restrictive setting (staff secure placement) |
7 |
| Transferred to a residential treatment center |
3 |
| Aged out of ORR care (2 were approved release on their own recognizance to their family after the Yolo team submitted a Post 18 Plan. 1 requested to repatriate instead of reunifying with his family.) |
3 |
| Released to his brother |
1 |
Budget Impacts of ORR Program Closure
The closure of the ORR Program has resulted in the following budget impacts:
- Current fiscal year revenue reduction of $2.7 million due to program closure mid-year
- Future fiscal years revenue reduction of $7 million annually
The gaps have been addressed by reducing staffing related to the operation of the JDF by 24 positions, as well as the reduction of 1 department-wide administrative position. To assist impacted employees, the County held a Job/Resource Fair in December and the Probation Department held a smaller Job Fair in October. While the status of impact employees is still evolving, as of the posting of this staff report, the standing of impacted employees was as follows:
| Promoted to open position |
1 |
| Converted to Extra Help position |
8 |
| Transferred to Health & Human Services Agency |
4 |
| Bumped back to prior position |
1 |
| Employment with other agency |
3 |
| Voluntary demotion in lieu of layoff |
2 |
| In various stages of obtaining future employment |
6 |
Further, budget gaps are being addressed as follows:
| Action |
2019-20 Budget Impact |
| Reduced salary costs from recent vacancies that will not be back-filled |
$343,000 |
| Reallocated funds from Juvenile Placement budget |
$200,000 |
| Increased use of Juvenile Realignment fund balance |
$250,000 |
| Reallocated revenues from Adult Probation Services |
$50,000 |
Current Uses of JDF
The current JDF, which opened in 2005, has a 90-bed capacity. In recent years, the average daily population has been much lower and declining as follows:
| Year |
Average Daily Population |
| 2015 |
23 |
| 2016 |
22 |
| 2017 |
16 |
| 2018 |
12 |
| 2019 |
6 |
Given the underutilization of the JDF, coupled with the Sheriff Department’s current space needs as a result of jail construction projects underway, a portion of the JDF was modified to temporarily accommodate adult booking starting in November. The Sheriff’s Office and Probation are now seeking Board of State & Community Corrections (BSCC) approval to also house adults in the JDF during the next phase of jail construction to avoid costs related to housing adult offenders out-of-county and to keep Yolo County youth local. Attachment A provides a floor plan of the proposed uses in the JDF should this second phase of collocation be approved by the BSCC. Should the jail construction go according to plan, these temporary uses of the JDF are expected to conclude by the end of 2021.
Planning for Future Uses of JDF
The decline in the youthful offender population and increase in the number of vacant beds in the JDF is not unique to Yolo County. In the past decade, probation departments throughout California have focused on rehabilitation efforts aimed at keeping youth out of juvenile halls. These successful efforts have led to a drastically lower youthful offender population and an increase in the number of vacant beds in juvenile facilities statewide (over 5,000 in 2018). As a result, many counties are grappling with how to the balance the fiscal inefficiencies of vacant beds in juvenile facilities with the complicated needs of their local juvenile justice system.
With the closure of the ORR Program in the JDF (and with the temporary uses of the JDF to accommodate jail construction over the next two years) the Probation Department can now turn its attention to evaluating the highest and best uses of the JDF to meet the public safety needs of our communities in the future. A comprehensive analysis will rely on input from the Board of Supervisors, other County departments, Probation staff and labor units, partners, stakeholders and the public, as well as lessons learned in other counties. It will include an environmental scan, needs assessment and gap analysis, all of which will culminate in a catalog of options and recommendations for Board consideration.
Below is a draft schedule for this planning efforts:
| Timeline |
JDF Planning Tasks |
Jail Construction |
| Nov 2019 |
|
Adult Booking moved to JDF due to demolition of Monroe booking facility |
| Jan 2020 |
Present Draft plan to evaluate future uses of JDF to Board of Supervisors and seek input |
|
|
ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN
|
| Dec 2019-Jun 2020 |
Research demographics/forecasts related to youth involvement with the criminal justice system |
|
| Dec 2019 |
Consider CSAC’s Juvenile Hall Report & Toolkit and study solutions found in other counties |
|
| Apr 2020 |
|
Bed space reserved for adults in JDF due to demolition of Leinberger |
|
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
|
| Jan - Mar 2020 |
Complete Juvenile Program Inventory |
|
| Mar 2020 |
Analyze of out-of-county placement of youth |
|
| Mar-Jul 2020 |
Gather input on needs and options that should be explored from:
- Labor units and JDF staff
- Juvenile Justice Commission
- Partners and Stakeholders i.e. law enforcement, providers
- Public
|
|
| Jul-Aug 2020 |
Compile needs assessment for criminally-involved youth in Yolo |
|
| Sep 2020 |
Present needs assessment to Board of Supervisors and seek input |
|
|
GAP ANALYSIS
|
| Oct-Nov 2020 |
Catalog options that might address Yolo County’s criminal justice needs |
Phase 2 of Monroe construction complete; Adult Booking to return to Monroe |
| Dec 2020-Jan 2021 |
Refine options best aligned with Yolo County’s needs and resources, including cost-benefit to house youth in JDF vs out-of-county |
|
|
RECOMMENDATIONS
|
| Feb 2021 |
Present recommended options to Board of Supervisors |
|
| Mar-Apr 2021 |
Further refine of option(s) and cost-benefits based on Board input |
|
| May 2021 |
Obtain final Board of Supervisors direction on refined recommended options |
|
|
IMPLEMENTATION
|
| Jun 2021-Jan 2022 |
Implement any changes in use of the JDF |
|
| Oct 2021 |
|
Leinberger construction complete, temporary housing at JDF discontinued |
|