Stanislaus County Grand Jury • 2014-2015 • Agency Response

Case # 15-16gj Local Effects of Prison Realignment (ab 109) and Proposition 47*

Published: June 22, 2015 7 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 14 findings

F1 Page 1
some effects to other County departments. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding. The State provides funding for the implementation of AB 109 through a formula that has
No recommendations for this finding
F2 Page 1
been developed and amended several times since AB 109 passed. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding. The Community Corrections Partnership, particularly the CCP Executive Committee, is
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 4
The Stanislaus County Sheriff and Chief Probation Officer should continue to be active, both individually and through their statewide organizations, to ensure that Stanislaus County receives its fair share of funding for the implementation of AB 109. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation.
F3 Page 1
responsible to allocate the funds to provided by the State for the implementation of AB 109. Response: The Respondent partially agrees with the finding. Stani<u>slaus</u> 250 East Hackett Rd. • Modesto, CA 95358 (209) 525-7216 • FAX (209) 525-7106 www.scsdonline.com STRIVING TO BE THE BEST June 22, 2015 16 Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-04GJ The CCP presents a spending plan to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Page 4
R4, None. The Stanislaus County Sheriff and Chief Probation Officer should continue to be active, both individually and through their statewide organizations, to ensure that Stanislaus County receives its fair share of funding for the implementation of AB 109. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation. None. The CCP should develop strategies to increase public awareness of its mission and to encourage more public participation at meetings. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation. June 22, 2015 S \bo Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-94GJ RS.
F4 Page 2
The CCP meetings are public, but not widely publicized, and the current location of the CCP meetings would not be able to accommodate a large number of public participants. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Page 4
The CCP should develop strategies to increase public awareness of its mission and to encourage more public participation at meetings. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation. June 22, 2015 Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-04GJ
F5 Page 2
AB 109 may have some effects to local public safety in the County, which may be compounded by budget cuts that have occurred to local law enforcement agencies. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Page 5
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and the City Councils of all nine incorporated cities within the County should take action to restore budgets and expand police services, particularly community-oriented and problem-oriented policing, to respond to the potential challenges of AB 109. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation speaking ONLY for the Sheriff's Office and the four cities of Patterson, Waterford, Riverbank, and Hughson where we provide contractual law enforcement services. The Board of Supervisors has made public safety restoration one of their highest priorities. We have a three year public safety restoration plan that is a fiscally conservative plan, Board supported and Board funded. The Sheriff's Regional Training Center is again offering the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Regular Basic Course and is currently hosting Class #174-15 with recruits representing the Sheriff's Office, the Modesto Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. The idea of community oriented policing and problem oriented policing isn't a new idea. The Sheriff's Office has used both models for years with great success. We've previously received the "James Q. Wilson" award for our efforts.
F6 Page 2
Proposition 47 has resulted in impacts to all levels of the County's criminal justice system, but it is difficult to quantify these impacts in the short term, and the long term impacts are unknown. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding.
No recommendations for this finding
F7 Page 2
Proposition 47, combined with the budget reductions to local law enforcement agencies, may result in an increase in property crimes throughout the County. Response: The Respondent partially agrees with the finding. Addiction is an epidemic and it's addiction that fuels property crime. While adequate law enforcement resources are critical in the fight against those who victimize others, early intervention, prevention and education are also critical to the promotion of a healthier, safer community. The challenge of addiction and mental illness is not exclusively a law enforcement problem. It's a community problem and we must have strong community partnerships and relationships to abate this epidemic. Speaking for the Sheriff's Office, we're supported by the Board of Supervisors who has made public safety restoration a priority.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Page 5
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors and the City Councils of all nine incorporated cities within the County should take action to restore budgets and expand police services, particularly community-oriented and problem-oriented policing, to respond to the potential challenges of Proposition 47. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation speaking ONLY for the Sheriff's Office and the four cities of Patterson, Waterford, Riverbank, and Hughson where we provide contractual law enforcement services. The Board of Supervisors has made public safety restoration one of their highest priorities. We have a three year public safety restoration plan that is a fiscally conservative plan, Board supported and Board funded. The Sheriff's Regional Training Center is again offering the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Regular Basic Course and is currently hosting Class #174-15 with recruits representing the Sheriff's Office, the Modesto Police Department and other agency sponsored recruits. The idea of community oriented policing and problem oriented policing isn't a new idea. The Sheriff's Office has used both models for years with great success. We've previously received the "James Q. Wilson" award for our efforts.
F8 Page 2
The passage of Proposition 47 has resulted in significant unintended consequences. These include crippling Drug Court, creating holes in the state DNA database, and the reclassifying of some gun crimes. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Page 5
See R9. June 22, 2015 10 Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-94GJ
F9 Page 2
There have been attempts to create legislative solutions to some of the consequences of Proposition 47, but they are yet to be successful. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding. June 22, 2015 Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-94GJ
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Page 6
The criminal justice leaders of Stanislaus County should continue to be active, both individually and through their professional organizations, in California's legislative challenges to salvage the unintended consequences of Proposition 47. Response: The Respondent partially agreed with the recommendation. There are currently efforts underway in the State Legislature with the support of the California State Sheriffs' Association that is focused on the "unintended consequences" of Proposition 47. The fact is that much of what the voters of California approved cannot be changed by the State Legislature and any recommended changes would have to go back to the ballot for the People to decide. The changes the Sheriffs of California seek are not widely accepted by the State Legislature as they're determined to decriminalize criminal conduct and behavior in an attempt to reduce the State's dependency upon incarceration as a deterrent to crime. The "unintended consequence" of stripping accountability and consequence out of our criminal justice system is that you're doing a disservice to the victims of crime and you continue to promote personal irresponsibility.
F10 Page 3
significant questions concerning the future use/reuse of the downtown block containing the existing Courthouse and Downtown Men's Jail. Response: The Respondent defers to Stanislaus County. The transportation of offenders from the existing Downtown Men's Jail to the New
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Page 6
The City of Modesto and Stanislaus County should begin immediate negotiations with the State of California to gain control of the old courthouse property by the time the new courthouse is completed and operational. Response: The Respondent defers to Stanislaus County and the City of Modesto.
F11 Page 3
Modesto Courthouse would pose logistical, financial and public safety challenges. Response: The Respondent partially agrees with the finding. The Sheriff's Office moves nearly 120 criminal offenders everyday through the criminal justice system, the Courthouse, other hearing locations, medical appointments etc., from four different housing units. Our team of deputy sheriffs and other support staff, responsible for the supervision, housing, movement, transportation of those inmates, along with the safety and security of the process, do an outstanding job and accept the June 22, 2015 16, Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-04GJ challenges they face. What we do now, very efficiently and effectively, will be the very same job we will do, if and when a new Courthouse is built.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11
Page 6
The City of Modesto, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, and the Stanislaus County Sheriff, should vigorously advocate in these early planning and design stages that the State of California provide adequate holding facilities in the New Modesto Courthouse. Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation. June 22, 2015 Re: Response to Civil Grand Jury Report 15-94GJ In fact, the Sheriff's Office has a strong relationship with the local Court Administrator and we've been actively engaged in discussions about offender holding areas inside the new Courthouse which must also meet strict State guidelines and statutory mandates such as Title 15 and Title 24 of the California Government Code, recognizing that there will be insufficient space to accommodate the large number of offenders we move through the local criminal justice system. The Sheriff's Office moves nearly 120 criminal offenders everyday through the criminal justice system, the Courthouse, other hearing locations, medical appointments etc., between four different housing units. Any new Courthouse construction cannot accommodate holding space for that many offenders and still maintain a safe/secure environment thus the reason the Men's Jail will no longer be used as a traditional detention facility, but a Court holding facility until all construction projects are complete on the Hackett Road Campus/Public Safety Center.
F12 Page 4
It is imperative that the New Modesto Courthouse contain adequate holding facilities for detainees awaiting court proceedings. Response: The Respondent agrees with the finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
Page 7
See R11 Response: The Respondent agrees with the recommendation.
F13 Page 4
Consistent with the original goals of the development of the PSC, the opportunity will never be better to eliminate the outdated facilities at the Downtown Men's Jail once the new courthouse is completed. Response: The Respondent partially agrees with the finding. The Men's Jail is, in fact, an outdated facility that will close with the activation of the SB1022 Jail Expansion Project at the current site of the PSC, which is projected for late 2018 or early 2019. At that time, the Men's Jail will continue to serve as a Court Holding Facility, due to its contiguous location to the existing Courthouse, and until a new Courthouse is constructed in downtown Modesto. The 800 block of 11th Street will need to be redeveloped once the new courthouse is
Related Recommendations (1)
R13
Page 7
See R14 Response: The Respondent defers to Stanislaus County and the City of Modesto.
F14 Page 4
completed. Response: The Respondent defers to Stanislaus County and the City of Modesto.
Related Recommendations (1)
R14
Page 7
Prior to the opening of the New Modesto Courthouse in 2019, the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County, with considerable public participation, should partner to develop a comprehensive plan for the reuse and redevelopment of the old courthouse and Downtown Men's Jail. Response: The Respondent defers to Stanislaus County and the City of Modesto. Sincerely ADAM CHRISTIANSON Sheriff-Coroner Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow, Chairman cc: Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors RECEIVED Judy Navarro, Foreperson JUL 1 4 2015 2014-2015 Civil Grand Jury Civil Grand Jury Stan Risen, Chief Executive Officer Stanislaus County

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.