⚠️ 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 and Recommendations 4 findings
F1
– Proposed renovation of the older Claybank facility is estimated to cost over $13 million dollars and does not meet the CFIP’s standard of “improving efficiency and operations improvement.” Such an unnecessary expenditure would negatively impact the County’s finances. As of April 4, 2026, the Claybank facility had an extremely low occupancy percentage of 15% with two other facilities available. Closing Claybank would increase the overall jail occupancy rating to 47% and still be well below 100%.
Related Recommendations (3)
R1A
– The Board of Supervisor reject at its first opportunity the CFIP proposal to renovate the Claybank facility and save the County General Fund over $13 million dollars in capital improvements. 7
R1B
– Solano County close the Claybank facility within a year from the date of this report and reassign inmates and security staff to the other remaining facilities.
R1C
– Solano County perform a “warm closure” or find alternative suitable uses of the Claybank facility by December 2027.
F2
– The Solano County Sheriff’s Office has hired a surplus of Custody Officers, negatively impacting the County’s finances.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
– By July 1, 2027, impose the LAO recommended one-to-three year hiring freeze for custody officers to align security staffing with other neighboring counties, potentially saving the County an additional $3,750,000 per year in FTE costs. A hiring freeze, plus staff attrition, promotions, and retirements would minimize undue layoffs. Reducing Custody officer positions to an acceptable level could provide adequate staffing for 600 inmates.
F3
– At the time of this report, Solano County does not lease inmate bed space to other counties, which negatively impacts metrics and revenue.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
– of the date of this report, offer or lease inmate bed space to improve underperforming metrics and generate revenue. The Justice Center and Stanton facilities have sufficient capacity to house all local inmates while also leasing over 500 beds. 8
F4
– The Sheriff’s Office has not engaged outside consultants in the last ten years to review their financial situation, which could lead to perpetuation of the current underperforming situation.
Related Recommendations (2)
R4A
– Hire an unbiased third-party professional consultant to review the Custodial Division budget and make recommendations or suggestions to reduce their budget within three months.
R4B
– By March 1, 2027, post position descriptions and interview for volunteer candidates to a citizen oversight committee. The goal being to provide feedback to the Sheriff’s Office about performance, as well as suggestions for improvement. Appoint such committee by July 1, 2027. V. COMMENTS Programs which have helped reduce the population of inmates include: Jail Based Competency Treatment (JBCT) – an in-jail program funded by the Department of State Hospitals. JBCT was designed to restore competency in individuals found Incompetent to Stand Trials and reduce the inmates’ jail time waiting to be transferred to a state facility. Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) – additional training for first-responders. CIT is intended to reduce the severity of negative and/or violent emotional events which may lead to arrest and/or incarceration. Mobile Crisis Units (MCUs) – mobile units dispatched to scenes of behavioral health calls for service, along with first-responders. MCUs provide additional expertise in review of options, which may include choosing medical treatment or incarceration. These programs reinforce the idea of getting reduced times of incarceration or proper treatment without incarcerating individuals, thereby reducing Solano County’s daily inmate population. Although the above three programs reduced the jail populations, none of them increased the Solano Custody Division budget because these programs were funded by the CDCR, local police agencies, and the Solano County Health and Social Services Department. VI. METHODOLOGY Documents reviewed: -23 report Assessment of Sheriff’s Custody Division Operations dated July 3, 2023, with responses Solano County Recommended Budgets for 2017-18 through 2024-25 Solano County Capital Facilities Improvement Program (CFIP) report under Sheriff/Coroner category for 2024-28 proposed projects California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDRC) recommendation for 2026-27 Budget summary of expense reduction California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) website and statewide statistical information Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) website for jail recommendations to reduce expenses Daily Republic article Jan 1, 2023, “Sheriff wants to develop new Academy in Solano” 10 Daily Republic article October 27, 2024, “Jail costs, capacity continue to flare” Solano County Sheriff’s office request for information February 2026 containing diagrams of detention facilities with staffing, average daily populations, bed rate calculations, fixed costs of facilities, needs assessment studies and vocational training (Attachment A). Recommended budget reviews of other counties including Contra Costa, Napa, Sonoma, and Yolo. Interviews: Solano County Administrative staff interview VII. REQUIRED RESPONSES Solano County Sheriff/Coroner (All findings) Solano County Board of Supervisors (Findings 1 and 4) COURTESY COPIES: Solano County Administrative Officer Solano County Capital Improvement Program Department Solano County General Services California Board of State and Community Corrections 11 Attachment A – Custody Totals, April 2026 Attachment A shows, for the Justice Center Detention Facility, the Claybank Detention Facility and Stanton Correctional Facility, data for the categories: Dayroom, BSCC Rated Beds, and Inmate Classification. It also includes graphic floorplans of each jail. 12
In the News 1
News coverage of this report, automatically tracked.
Solano grand jury: Close Claybank jail, save county more than $10 million - Times Herald Online
Times Herald Online
· June 23, 2026