Santa Cruz Jail Reduces Overcrowding
While jail and prison populations balloon statewide and across the nation, county jail facilities in Santa Cruz CA have reduced overcrowding in the past few years, according to the county’s annual grand jury report, and as reported in the San Jose Mercury News.
The report, which takes a look at jail facilities each year, applauded efforts by the Sheriff’s Office and its partners in the criminal justice system for making adjustments in how inmates are screened, housed and supervised to reduce overcrowding at county incarceration centers. The average monthly population at County Jail on Water Street in Santa Cruz fell 15 percent between 2004 and 2007, according to the report. Current statistics indicate that number continues to decline … The report lists figures from the first six months of 2007, when the average monthly population there was 358 inmates, a significant decline from 2004 when the average population was 408 and a far cry from the 450-plus inmates that were housed in the facility a decade ago. According to County Jail statistics Tuesday, the population was 299 inmates, below the state-rated capacity of 311.
To keep a handle on jail population, the Sheriff’s Office established a Jail Overcrowding Committee that meets quarterly to discuss concerns. The committee — comprised of representatives from law enforcement, the judiciary, the District Attorney’s Office, the Probation Department, the Public Defenders Office, the county Board of Supervisors and other agencies — developed a set of strategies to reduce overcrowding. Among those was implementation of a new classification system that screens inmates to determine whom might be better-suited for a work release or GPS monitoring program.
Assessments and Classification, CA Santa Cruz County, Overcrowding, Work Release