1

SF SHERIFF’S JAIL POPULATION DATA

Our actual jail count on the first day of every month during the period of 1/1/2010 – 2/1/2015 (graph)

Our quarterly average jail count for the period of 2010-2014 (chart).

Both sets of empirical data show the expected trend of a decline in the general jail population in the

custody of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.

The decline in the jail population is attributable to a number of factors, and the aggregate effect of

which aims at one goal – ENHANCEMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

Multi-disciplinary approach to promote public safety: From alternative to incarceration measures to

alternative sentencing programs combined with focused effort on combatting recidivism.

o Lowering incarceration rate while maintaining accountability through supervised release to our

robust community-based or contracted programs, and alternative sentencing programs; &

o Reduction of recidivism through a continuum of educational opportunities, vocational training,

and social and health care services (in-custody and post-release).

POTENTIAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO JAIL POPULATION DECLINE

o Comprehensive approach:

1920

20662039

1821

1566

1691168016781733

17921752

1794

1674

1737

1797

1684

16001580

1490144614241425

14921537

1495

16401617157715721564

154015101513

1547

14731529

14701521

1475

1544149714991498

1392

13241338

127612671251127712891306

1255127912651256

130713151266

1228

11081156

1/1/

2010

2/1/

2010

3/1/

2010

4/1/

2010

5/1/

2010

6/1/

2010

7/1/

2010

8/1/

2010

9/1/

2010

10/1

/201

0

11/1

/201

0

12/1

/201

0

1/1/

2011

2/1/

2011

3/1/

2011

4/1/

2011

5/1/

2011

6/1/

2011

7/1/

2011

8/1/

2011

9/1/

2011

10/1

/201

1

11/1

/201

1

12/1

/201

1

1/1/

2012

2/1/

2012

3/1/

2012

4/1/

2012

5/1/

2012

6/1/

2012

7/1/

2012

8/1/

2012

9/1/

2012

10/1

/201

2

11/1

/201

2

12/1

/201

2

1/1/

2013

2/1/

2013

3/1/

2013

4/1/

2013

5/1/

2013

6/1/

2013

7/1/

2013

8/1/

2013

9/1/

2013

10/1

/201

3

11/1

/201

3

12/1

/201

3

1/1/

2014

2/1/

2014

3/1/

2014

4/1/

2014

5/1/

2014

6/1/

2014

7/1/

2014

8/1/

2014

9/1/

2014

10/1

/201

4

11/1

/201

4

12/1

/201

4

1/1/

2015

2/1/

2015

S.F. Sheriff Jail Population

Jail Ct.

2

Alternative to incarceration approach – aims at lowering the rate of incarceration

while maintaining accountability in allowing release from jail (pre- and post-

sentencing) to the direct supervision of the Sheriff Department’s community-

based or contracted programs.

Pre-sentencing: Release of lower risk offenders through the SF Sheriff

Department’s contracted program called the Pretrial Diversion Project.

Direct supervision while out of custody allows the offenders to be

productive members of the community (e.g. return to work; family

reunification, etc.) while ensuring that the pre-trial release requirements of

the court are fulfilled.

Post-sentencing: Release of lower risk offenders to serve their county jail

sentences out of custody through programs, such as Electronic Monitoring

or SWAP. Supervision of lower risk offenders in the community would

allow them to be productive members of the community (e.g. return to

work; family reunification, etc.) while holding them accountable for their

behavior through the restrictive measures.

Reduction of recidivism: In-custody educational, vocational and treatment

services combined with the availability of health care and post-released services

through our re-entry centers correlate directly to the decline of recidivism,

allowing the SF Sheriff’s Department to meet its primary goal of enhancing public

safety.1

Services: In-custody educational, vocational, and counseling services

through programs, such as San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Five Keys

Charter High School, SISTERS, Roads to Recovery, RSVP and COVER.

Through educational opportunities and vocational training, inmates gain

marketable skills which will help them obtain living wage jobs after their

release from custody. Coupled the availability of health care enrollment

while in custody, SF Sheriff’s Department offers a variety of services to

help inmates address their substance abuse or anger management or

mental health problems.

Health care enrollment: In-custody participation creates an incentive to

maintain care and services post-release.

Re-Entry Centers: Offenders receive continuing post-release care and

services through our Community Programs and Women’s Resource

Center.

A SAMPLE STUDY

1 RECIDIVISM – AS DEFINED BY OUR DEPARTMENT: WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF BEING RELEASED FROM CUSTODY, INMATE IS

ARRAIGNED IN SF ON A NEW OFFENSE, OR HELD IN SF CUSTODY FOR PROBATION OR PAROLE REVOCATION. o RECIDIVISM RATES BASED ON A SAMPLE CONSISTING OF RELEASES BETWEEN 7/1/2012 – 6/30/2013 OF INMATES WHO

SPENT 30 OR MORE DAYS IN OUR PROGRAMS: ROADS TO RECOVERY – 32%; RSVP – 28%; AND, SISTERS – 31%.

3

This is a snap shot in time specific to February 4, 2015:

There were 1,167 inmates in physical custody housed in the SF County Jail System

Approximately 65% of the in-custody population is pre-trial

There were 1,033 people in alternatives to incarceration. The alternatives to incarceration include the following:

(Again on 02/04/15) THERE WERE 105 PEOPLE UTILIZING OUR ALTERNATIVE

SENTENCING PROGRAMS

INDIVIDUALS SERVING THEIR COUNTY JAIL SENTENCES OUT OF CUSTODY

THROUGH SWAP OR ELECTRONIC MONITORING (EM).

AS A COMPARISON, IN 2014 THERE WERE A TOTAL of 908 UNIQUE

PARTICIPANTS IN EM AND SWAP, WHILE IN 2013; EM REALIZED A 94% SUCCESS

RATE.

928 PEOPLE ARE IN SFSD COMMUNITY-BASED OR CONTRACTED PROGRAMS

PARTICIPANTS ARE INDIVIDUALS QUALIFIED FOR PRE-SENTENCE RELEASE OR

DIVERSION FROM PROSECUTION.