Assessment of Fees for Work Furlough Inmates

Fees associated with Work Furlough participation are: a. Board Fee $48.00/day b.Screening Fee $19.00 one-time charge c. Administration Fee $39.00 one-time charge d.Booking Fee $35.00 one-time charge paid to Sheriff

Fees are recommended by the Probation Department and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Board fees collected in September 1999 totaled $79,406.04.

The average daily work furlough population in the month of September 1999 was 160 inmates.

Approximately 70 inmates included in the September popula- tion were in the following non-paying categories: a. Stages (Alcohol/Drug recovery for a minimum of 6 weeks.) b. Look For Work Program (unemployed inmates who are al- lowed to seek employment three days each week and perform work in the Work Release program three days per week.) c. Janitor 192 1999-2000 Ventura County Grand Jury Final Report Figure 1. Financial Statement Form (side 1) 193 Final Report 1999-2000 Ventura County Grand Jury Figure 1. Financial Statement Form (side 2) 194 1999-2000 Ventura County Grand Jury Final Report Intake Process for Work Furlough Inmates – September 1999

At the time of the Grand Jury visit, the intake process which determined the fee assessed for participation in the Work Furlough Program was described as follows: • The inmate was asked to provide a pay stub and, if the amount indicated was sufficient in the judgment of the intake employee, the $48.00 fee was assessed. • If an inmate requested an appeal, he/she filled out a Finan- cial Statement. (See Figure 1) • The means test was described as a loose sliding scale. • There were no written guidelines or procedures in place. • None of the intake documents gave notice to the inmate that an appeals process was available. Staff stated that procedures for fee assessment had been de- layed because of work required to get a new computer system up and running.

In response to our request for clarification, the Probation Department’s letter (November 16, 1999) provided a sliding scale (see Figure 2) and stated that during the month of Sep- tember 1999 the 88 new inmates were given an automatic means test. Rates shown in first two columns are assumed to be hourly dollar amounts. FROM TO DAILY CHARGE 5.75 6.75 14.25 6.76 8.50 18.00 8.51 10.25 21.75 10.26 12.00 25.50 12.01 13.75 29.25 13.76 15.50 33.00 15.51 17.25 36.75 17.26 19.00 40.50 19.01 20.75 44.25 20.76 48.00 Figure 2. Ventura County Probation Agency Work Furlough Program - Sliding scale for fiscal year 1999-2000 195 Final Report 1999-2000 Ventura County Grand Jury Conclusions C-1 The Work Furlough Program serves both the inmate partici- pants and the County of Ventura. C-2 Ventura County Probation Department response to Grand Jury questions, dated November 16, l999, indicates that procedures and forms are now in place to provide means testing assistance to English speaking, non-English speaking and illiterate inmates. C-3 The response from Ventura County Probation Department dated November 16, l999, indicates appropriate changes have been made in the procedures used to assess “ability to pay” and assign fees for Work Furlough participants: “Although we believe the sliding scale in combination with the inmates being able to request a financial evaluation addresses the ‘ability to pay’ requirement set forth in the Penal Code, we have recently assessed this practice and decided to implement a new methodology for determining the ‘ability to pay’ by an individual in the program. This new rate determination meth- odology involves the sending of three (3) forms (copies at- tached—English and Spanish) to participants accepted to the Work Furlough Program prior to their arrival. These forms are: 1) Instructions for Financial Evaluation; 2) Financial Statement; and 3) Authorization to Release Information/Authorization To Disclose Information to a Governmental Agency. The evalua- tion of this information in combination with the credit reports we will run, will allow us to better assess that individual’s total household income and their total household expenses. The overall results will be a rate determination that is reflective of that individual’s “ability to pay.” The full implementation of this new methodology will coincide with the implementation of our new computer system on November 1, l999.” Recommendations The Ventura County Grand Jury recommends: