Marin County Grand Jury
• 2012-2013
Assembly Bill 109: How Will It Impact Our Jail?[PDF]
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 4 findings
F1
The current law allows for jail sentences of unlimited length. Such long-term commitments are ill suited to the current Marin County Jail facility.
F2
The Marin County Jail staff will continue to face more sophisticated and possibly dangerous inmates. These inmates will present dangers to themselves, to other inmates, and to jail staff. Therefore, long sentences for this new kind of inmate increase the need for educational and rehabilitative programs, exercise opportunities, and the facilities to enable all such efforts.
F3
In the absence of future limitations upon the length of possible jail sentences, the Marin County Jail will face an aging and sedentary inmate population. These persons may initially enter the jail with compromised health. Therefore, long-term jail sentences will increase the need for healthcare services and the facilities to provide such care.
F4
A recent Marin County Grand Jury report, “A Sobering Center in Marin – One Small Step in Solving a Big Problem,” found a need for further resources to combat public inebriation. Sobering centers need greater capacity. If additional sobering center resources become available, then the ability of the criminal justice system to focus personnel and jail facilities on more dangerous criminals will increase
Recommendations 4
-
R1The Board of Supervisors must advocate for state laws to establish a maximum county jail sentence for AB 109 inmates.
-
R2The Board of Supervisors must increase jail funding, enabling the Sheriff to upgrade the Marin County Jail’s current educational and rehabilitative programs, exercise opportunities, and the needed facilities to enable all such efforts, in order to satisfy the needs of long-term AB 109 inmates and enhance staff safety.
-
R3The Board of Supervisors must increase jail funding, enabling the Sheriff to upgrade the current healthcare treatment, and healthcare facilities of the Marin County Jail to meet the mental health, medical, and dental needs of long-term AB 109 inmates.
-
R4The Board of Supervisors must expand sobering center services in Marin County.