Fact Sheet on Jail Expansion in Contra Costa

7/31/2019 Fact Sheet on Jail Expansion in Contra Costa

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Facts on Incarceration and Deportation in Contra Costa County

On June 6th

and 7th

a representative of the Contra Costa County Sheriff announced that

the sheriff would like to expand county jail facilities by 150 beds to hold 300 inmates. The costs

of the construction and ongoing annual costs of staffing these facilities have not been publiclyreleased. Crowding at the countys jail could be addressed by building more jail space, or by

addressing some of the underlying causes of the high numbers of people incarcerated.

This fact sheet describes six of the challenges underlying the jail crowding, and six

opportunities to implement strategies that are backed by the countys strategic plan, scientific

research on best practices, and broad community support. These solutions are more likely to

improve community health and safety, and ultimately reduce costs to the county.

REALIGNMENT

The ChallengeIn October of 2011, the new state legislation AB109 or realignment took effect, and the

county became responsible for incarcerating and supervising an increased number of

individuals with non-serious, non-sexual, and non-violent offenses. Realignment followed a

thirty-year escalation of mass incarceration and prison expansion, the cost of which became

unbearable and forced the state to change direction. The legislators writing AB109 hoped that

the counties could figure out a way to do what it could not: reduce recidivism and find more

effective ways of responding to crime.

The Opportunity

For the first 9 months, the county received $4.57 million from the state for meeting this

responsibility, which is spent on increasing jail and probation staff and basic health services. For

the second year, the county is getting $19 million, which can go much further to meet

community needs like transitional employment, integrated services, and housing. The county

has a Strategic Plan for Reentry, which includes specific recommendations on reintegrating

people released from incarceration, but none of it has been implemented yet due to lack of

funding.1

The realignment funding is a rare opportunity to implement this plan.

HOUSING

The Challenge

It is widely recognized that stable housing is key to successful reintegration, yet seven out of

ten recently released Richmond residents do not have stable housing.2

A study by the CA

1Contra Costa County Re-entry Strategic Plan:http://www.cocoreentry.org

2Pacific Institute (2010) Survey of 101 individuals on probation or parole released within the previous 3-18

months. More information at:http://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/

formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdf
http://www.cocoreentry.org/http://www.cocoreentry.org/http://www.cocoreentry.org/http://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/%20formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdfhttp://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/%20formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdfhttp://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/%20formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdfhttp://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/%20formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdfhttp://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/%20formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdfhttp://www.pacinst.org/topics/community_strategies/%20formerly_incarcerated/reentry_report.pdfhttp://www.cocoreentry.org/


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Department of Corrections found that 30 to 50 percent of parolees were homeless.3

Contra

Costa County probation staff reported in May that 96% of people on AB109 probation have

housing, but that this includes many inadequate arrangements, such as individuals living in

backyard tool sheds. While $100,000 of AB109 funding was allotted to transitional housing, as

of May no one had qualified you must have an income to be eligible. The only housingassistance provided to these returning residents has been a bed at a homeless shelter.

However, community testimonies and published research has found that staying at a homeless

shelter actually increases the rate of re-incarceration by up to 17%.4

The Opportunity

The Reentry Policy Council recommends several evidence-based strategies for increasing

housing options available to people coming home, including the use of state and local funding

used for traditional public safety and criminal justice purposes to finance the development of

supportive housing.5

AB109 funding could be dedicated to re-entry housing that builds upon

existing community-based housing programs.

REENTRY SERVICES

The Challenge

No integrated system exists for maintaining information on and making referrals to the services

needed by returning residents. Probation and parole officers rely on their own individual

records and collected business cards to make referrals. Without such a system, individuals are

unlikely to have needed support during the first 72 hours after release, a period when studies

have found the greatest risk of death.

The Opportunity

Independent evaluations have found that integrated programs like the No Violence Alliance

have had clients three times less likely to be re-arrested.6

This program and other like it cost

less than $10,000 per client, a fifth of the cost of incarceration. Community-based organizations

and service providers in West Contra Costa are in the process of designing such a program that

could be funded in the coming year at multiple sites.

3California Department of Corrections (1997) Prevention Parolee Failure Program: An Evaluation.

4Stephen Metraux and Dennis P. Culhane (2004) Homeless Shelter Use and Reincarceration: Assessing the Risk,

Criminology and Public Policy3, no. 2, pp 201-222.5

Council of State Governments Reentry Policy Council (2005) Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council: Charting the

Safe and Successful Return of Prisoners to the Community. New York: Council of State Governments.6

No Violence Alliance evaluation


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DETENTION OF IMMIGRANTS

The Challenge

Contra Costa County has the highest rate of deportation of immigrants who have not been

convicted of anything in all of the Bay Area. 1/3 of all immigrants whom ICE has arrested under

SCOMM have never been convicted of anything;The Opportunity

Santa Clara, San Francisco, and other counties have stopped cooperating with the ICE Secure

Communities program. Contra Costa Sheriff could decide to no longer refer people to ICE who

do not have a violent or serious offense.

PRE-TRIAL DETENTION AND BAIL REFORM

The Challenge

85% of the Contra Costa County jail inmates (approximately 1,300 individuals) are pre-trial, as

in they are incarcerated despite having not been tried and convicted. This is fourteen percentabove the state rate and twenty four percent above the national average.

7These individuals are

incarcerated primarily because they simply cannot afford bail, and as a result are prevented

from continuing or pursuing employment and engaging in family and community life.

The Opportunity

The countys Community Corrections Partnership has participated in trainings and researched

bail reform best practices that more effectively gage the risk of releasing an individual on public

safety, while reducing the jail population. Santa Cruz county enacted such a system in 2005,

releasing low-level offenders on their own recognizance, and found that after two years 92%

had not re-offended, and 90 jail beds a day were saved. Camden, New Jersey, enacted similar

changes and reduced its jail population by 21%, saving $9 million annually.8

EMPLOYMENT

The Challenge

Approximately eighty percent of formerly incarcerated residents are unemployed, according to

both the Pacific Institute survey and a May report by probation staff. With such extreme

unemployment, this community is prevented from gaining the independence and dignity

necessary to reintegrate successfully.

The Opportunity

Transitional employment programs can provide direct employment and training, ensuring both

short-term needs and a path toward long-term employment. Large projects like the

7ACLU (2012) Public Safety Realignment; California at a Crossroads:

https://www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/realignment_will_california_confront_its_incarceration_crisis.sht

ml8

ACLU (2012)
https://www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/realignment_will_california_confront_its_incarceration_crisis.shtmlhttps://www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/realignment_will_california_confront_its_incarceration_crisis.shtmlhttps://www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/realignment_will_california_confront_its_incarceration_crisis.shtmlhttps://www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/realignment_will_california_confront_its_incarceration_crisis.shtmlhttps://www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/realignment_will_california_confront_its_incarceration_crisis.shtml


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construction of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab provide potential employment placements

for which a transitional employment program could prepare formerly incarcerated residents.

The county itself is one of the largest employers and can implement the recommendation of its

Reentry Strategic Plan to ban the box and level the playing field for residents with a past

conviction applying for county positions.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION

The Challenge

Violent crime and gun violence continue to take lives and devastate families and communities

in Contra Costa County. In the community of North Richmond alone there were more than five

shootings in the last month. The Richmond Ceasefire-Lifelines to Healing initiative is a

community-driven collaboration between law-enforcement, community and clergy leaders to

reduce gun violence, recidivism and built a pathway to opportunities for those most impacted

by gun violence. Every major law enforcement entity in Contra Costa County is at the

Ceasefire-Lifelines working group table, except the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office despite

numerous requests from working group partners. This has made implementation in the greater

Richmond area difficult because of the lack of coordination and accountability.

The Opportunity

Ceasefire-Lifelines is a proven strategy to save lives and has proven to reduce gun violence

nearly 70% in cities across the country. The early data shows that gun violence is down nearly

50% at this time in 2011, however, community efforts have been hampered by the lack of

cooperation from Sheriff David Livingston. It is imperative that the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office

join the Ceasefire-Lifelines to Healing working group table and embrace the goals of the

initiative to keep our community alive and free and build pathways to opportunity.

Documents

Fact Sheet on Jail Expansion in Contra Costa