The San Joaquin County CA Board of Supervisors approved an agreement Tuesday to sponsor with the state in its effort to operate a re-entry facility for prison inmates.
The re-entry facility is a key component of the county getting available state funds to expand the overcrowded San Joaquin County Jail. The state’s Correction Standards Authority conditionally awarded $80 million to San Joaquin County in May, and the agreement is one of the steps that needs to be completed. It is expected the state will award the money Sept. 18, Sheriff Steve Moore said.
Last year, the state passed a law to combat the state prison system’s overcrowding problem that also made money available for county jails. The agreement states that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would have the responsibility of converting the former Northern California Women’s Facility at 7150 Arch Road into a re-entry facility for inmates on their way out of the prison system before they return to society. It also obligates the county to support the state’s effort to establish and operate the re-entry facility.
An expanded jail in the county could be built as early as 2012. Officials from city governments and the county have yet to determine how to pay for the operation of an expanded jail.
vericatrajkova CA San Joaquin County, California, Overcrowding, Re-Entry
The cities that form part of San Joaquin County CA have met together to discuss the county jail and its annual operating costs.
Inmates, both convicted and awaiting trial, arrested from across the county are housed at the jail, but a court order to curb overcrowding compels the jail to release an average of 189 inmates a day, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. This week the county submitted an application to the state for $80 million to expand the jail by 1,280 beds by 2013. Current estimates put the total cost to build the first phase around $116 million, or $91,000 per bed. The county has enough funds to pay for its share of the total construction cost of this phase, but it doesn’t have the money for operating costs, according to county officials. Operating costs for the first phase are estimated to be around $41 million per year. Stakes are high if the county can’t run the jail when it’s built. “If you build the jail but don’t operate the jail, the state has the authority to take that jail back,” said County Administrator Manuel Lopez. County staff have begun looking at different ways that money could be raised, he said.
The cities discussed new assessment districts and local taxes. No consensus was reached on how to solve the problem, but there was agreement that a solution will be found. See more at Recordnet.com.
vericatrajkova CA San Joaquin County