Issue | Background | Findings | Conclusions | Recommendations | Responses | Attachments San Mateo County Jails and

Conclusions 16

• CL1 Page 3
  There are cost saving programs that are acceptable to prosecutors and courts that can be used as alternatives to incarceration, such as the Bridges Program.
• CL2 Page 3
  Overcrowding at the Maguire Correctional Facility will increase during construction if the current site of the Women’s Correctional Center is used as the site for the new jail. As such, acceptable alternatives will need to be identified and funded during construction. 1 Palo Alto Daily News, 5/19/08 “Prisons may add to staff” 3 7. The principles of the Bridges Program may have a broader application in the Probation Department Program for the courts to consider as an alternative in all cases in which a referral to the Program may be appropriate.
• CL3 Page 4
  Electronic monitoring is being used in other jurisdictions in the State as a component in the sentencing of adults. It is also a frequent part of the sentencing for some of the juveniles in the county to be part of a program where each juvenile is assigned to a Probation Officer with a case load small enough for the Officer and the monitored juvenile to meet three times a week. Adding close supervision by Probation may make the use of electronic monitoring a viable option in the sentencing of some convicted adults in the county.
• CL4 Page 4
  San Mateo County owns the property upon which the new jail is proposed to be built. If the new facility is not large enough to accommodate the projected growth in the jail population, the need in the future to build an additional jail facility will be far more expensive because the county may need to purchase the land and the Sheriff’s Office would need to staff one more jail.
• CL5 Page 3
  There is a dedicated professional Sheriff’s staff that: • maintains the jails well • offers effective assistance programs, such as Choices, to the inmates in spite of the overcrowding in facilities too small to accommodate the population • motivates some inmates to re-enter society and avoid recidivism.
• CL6 Page 3
  The County currently plans to replace the Women’s Correctional Facility with a larger jail on the same site. Maguire Correctional Facility and the Women’s Correctional Center have been filled beyond capacity for 15 years, so it is important that a new jail be constructed jail without delay.
• CL7 Page 3
  Continued over-crowding significantly increases the challenges in providing effective rehabilitation of inmates.
• CL8 Page 3
  The BOS has been made aware of the direct and indirect costs of overcrowding.
• CL9 Page 4
  The principles of the Bridges Program may have a broader application in the Probation Department Program for the courts to consider as an alternative in all cases in which a referral to the Program may be appropriate.
• CL10 Page 3
  There is a dedicated professional Sheriff’s staff that maintains the jail well, offers effective assistance programs, such as CHOICES, to the inmates in spite of the overcrowding in facilities too small to accommodate the population, motivates some inmates to re-enter society to avoid recidivism” Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. The Sheriff’s Office prides itself on the professional staff members who work in our correctional facilities making it possible to operate a safe and secure environment for staff, inmates, and visitors despite severe overcrowding. One significant priority is to provide inmates with beneficial inmate program services to better support them for release into our community and elevate their chances for successful re-unification with their families as productive citizens. The Sheriff is grateful to the members of the Grand Jury and joins them in acknowledging the dedication of the women and men of this organization.
• CL11 Page 3
  The County currently plans to replace the Women’s Correctional Center with a larger jail on the same site. The Maguire Correctional Facility and the Women’s Correctional Center have been filled beyond capacity for fifteen (15) years, so it is important that a new jail be constructed without delay. Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. The Sheriff’s Office has experienced a net loss of three hundred and eighty (380) inmate beds over the last decade which has caused on-going jail overcrowding at both our Maguire Correctional Facility and our Women’s Correctional Center. This has also caused a strain on the available inmate re-entry and program services with limited program space in said facilities. It has also resulted in increased costs related to overcrowding. It is important to note that the final decision on site selection is yet to be determined.
• CL12 Page 7
  The Board of Supervisors has been made aware of the direct and indirect costs of overcrowding. Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. Our Jail Planning Unit is working with the County Manager’s Office and County Real Property regarding site selection; a value matrix is being developed in order to assist in site selection for our replacement facility. This is an ongoing process to keep the Board of Supervisors aware of the direct and indirect costs of overcrowding. 2 of 6
• CL13 Page 3
  There are cost saving programs that are acceptable to prosecutors and courts that can be used as alternatives to incarceration, such as the BRIDGES Program. Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. There are several post- incarceration programs, including BRIDGES that are helpful in providing re- entry programming to inmates upon release from custody.
• CL14 Page 3
  Overcrowding at the Maguire Correctional Facility will increase during construction if the current site of the Women’s Correctional Center is used as the site for the new jail. As such, acceptable alternatives will need to be identified and funded during construction. Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. The existing La Honda facilities will provide needed space for the temporary location of displaced inmates. We anticipate a detailed study to identify acceptable alternatives and funding obligations and opportunities.
• CL15 Page 8
  The principles of the BRIDGES Program may have a broader application in the Probation Department for the Courts to consider as an alternative in all cases in which a referral to the Program may be appropriate. Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. Our Office is committed to working collaboratively with the Court, Probation and various service providers in the identification of a continuum of care, including rehabilitative and re-entry services spanning from incarceration to release, for detainees in our facilities.
• CL16 Page 8
  Electric monitoring is being used in other jurisdictions in the State as a component in the sentencing of adults. It is also a frequent part of sentencing for some of the juveniles in the county to be part of a program where each juvenile is assigned to a Probation Officer with a case load small enough for the Officer and the monitoring juvenile to meet three times a week. Adding close supervision by Probation may make the use of electronic monitoring a viable option in the sentencing of some convicted adults in the county. Response: The respondent agrees with the conclusion. Our Office is committed to working collaboratively with the Court and Probation to explore the use of electronic monitoring as a viable option in the sentencing of some convicted adults in our county. The Sheriff’s Office currently operates an Electronic Monitoring Program (EMP) for non-violent sentenced inmates in-lieu of jail when appropriate and when approved by the Court. It is anticipated that the Sheriff’s EMP participants will grow in conjunction with added programming which will be possible with a new replacement facility. 3 of 6

No Responses Found 2

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.