Tobacco Settlement Funds

The jail facility, built in 1963, was designed to house a maximum of 47 inmates. In 1960, the population of Calaveras County was 10,200. In January of 1992, a court order increased the maximum jail population to 65. The population of the County in 1990 was 31,998. The 2000 census reports the County population as 40,554. The Chamber of Commerce projects that population in 2005 will be 43,500. The Sheriff’s Office estimates an increase of population on weekends and holidays to 80,000- 100,000, with an increase to 120,000 on Frog Jump weekend. The jail capacity remains at 65. With the population growth of Calaveras County in recent years, crime has increased, including an increase of misdemeanor offenses as it becomes widely known that little, if any, time will be spent in jail because of capacity limits. At 5:00 pm each day many inmates are released. Statistics indicate that early release encourages repeat offenses, as offenders know that little time will be served. Time not served in the first three and a half months of 2005 amounts to almost 18 years, with 180 inmates released prematurely due to jail over-crowding. The total unserved jail time in 2004 was 52 years. Taxpayer’s money is wasted by the court’s sentencing of convicted offenders to jail terms that will not be served because of the over-crowded jail. Recidivism continues to be a problem in Calaveras County.