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Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. has pledged maximum state support as Contra Costa County and other local officials begin California’s historic realignment to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s prison-reduction order.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered California to reduce its prison population without delay and realignment is the most viable plan to comply with the court’s order,” Brown said. “It ensures that the most dangerous offenders serve their full sentences in state prison.”
“I am pledging maximum state support to local officials: full funding, flexibility to use local solutions, and a future ballot measure guaranteeing continuous funding,” he added. “We can’t overturn the Supreme Court’s decision, but we can work together to fix our broken system and protect public safety.”
State and local officials have worked together for months preparing for the transfer to local government of funds and a range of responsibilities, including supervising parolees, managing lower-level offenders, and providing mental health, substance abuse and child protective services.
“We anticipate in the first 90 days getting 29.5 inmates per week, said Contra Costa County Undersheriff Mike Casten. “That number includes state parolees that will now be staying…and new people sentenced that would have gone to state prison.”
While the Martinez Detention Facility (MDF) — the county’s only high-security jail — has some bed space for new inmates, Casten said Contra Costa would need to create new space to house an expected 345 prisoners. MDF can house 694 offenders and, in August, held 693.
“We believe we can take care of at least the first nine months by opening up half of a building that is currently vacant at the West County Detention Facility and opening up a dormitory at Marsh Creek that is currently closed,” he said, adding that the population should level off by July.
With the new space, the West County facility in Richmond will be able to hold 119 prisoners and Clayton’s Marsh Creek can house 60. Casten said both facilities should be operational this week.
The county also plans to reassess its inmate population and may reassign prisoners to different locations based on the severity of their crimes and risk to other inmates. Many people in Contra Costa County will receive “hybrid sentences,” or a period of detention time followed by home electronic detention.
The program is expected to cost $2.48 million, which was dedicated to the county as a result of Assembly Bill 109, the criminal justice realignment signed by Gov. Brown this April. Contra Costa County’s previous receipt of $777,000 for housing state prisoners will be rolled into the AB 109 funds.
Casten said the state would fund the next two years of realignment, though he did not elaborate on how much money the county could expect.
“Years two and three will obviously be higher than the $2.48 million because it will be a total 12 month fiscal year and there will be no ramp up where we’re opening half a building,” Casten said.
Officials in Alameda County are playing a similar waiting game, though the county does not expect to receive any additional inmates.
“That’s the big question, how much they’re going to pay us. We currently charge the state and federal government a daily rate of $77.17 for prisoners,” said Sgt. J.D. Nelson, public information officer with the Alameda County Sheriff. “It’s undetermined at this time if we’ll continue to receive the daily rate or if that will change.”
Dublin’s Santa Rita Jail, which currently houses 3,300 inmates, can hold another 700; the North County Jail in Oakland has a capacity of 840 and currently houses about 600.
“We’re in a better position than many counties,” Nelson said. “We’re not going to release anyone early because of this. We expect all prisoners to serve their full term as sentenced by a judge.”
In January 2010, a three-judge court ordered the state to reduce the inmate population in its 33 adult prisons to 137.5 percent of design capacity. The three-judge court’s order was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court this past May. As a result, the state is mandated to lower its prison population by approximately 30,000 inmates by June 27, 2013.
The budget and legislation Brown signed in June provide the legal framework for realignment and allocations of revenue to counties for their new responsibilities. The total funding provided to the counties this year will be $5.6 billion, and it is expected to grow to $6.8 billion by 2014.
Jeb Bing contributed to this story
Jeb Bing contributed to this story
Jeb Bing contributed to this story
This is the result of the long-term FAILURE of STATE LEGISLATIVE POLITICIANS to do their job to design (build) a prison system with enough space, at reasonable construction and operating costs, with enough safety for citizens and inmates both.
Dumping prisoners into the county system is just side-stepping taking responsible action for the real problem. Politicians are so false!
Construction costs are TOO HIGH probably because of unions. Use prison labor to build cheaper prisons.
If the Government can’t do it well enough and at reasonable cost, then let private enterprise build and run the jails.
It is sad there are so many people who have committed crimes and now need to be in prison BUT why not save the state a lot of money by not providing all they do ! color televisions and so much more….make it as dreary and cold as can be why do prisoners have so many things that some folks in the outside world do not even have ? I will never understand the system !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!