Trinity County Detention Facility: Disaster Pending!*

The 8/15/11 response to the 2010-2011 Grand Jury Report stated, "The video system is failing and plans are underway to have it replaced in the coming weeks". Although new security cameras have been purchased (some time ago), to date they have not been installed. At the time of the tour only one of the old cameras appeared to be working. Response: I agree.

The mandates of California Bill AB109 are overloading a Jail facility that is not designed for long term housing. Due to the overcrowding the Law Enforcement Officers S:\Grand Jury\11-12\JUR2011-2012-002 CAO resp.doc are having to make a determination as to whether to arrest, or just cite an individual because "There is no room at the Inn". Response: I agree in part with this finding. The Jail was not designed to house inmates' long term. The provisions of AB109 have resulted in the sentencing of less than 4 inmates thus far. Additionally, AB109 provides that all inmates now receive 1/2 time credit instead of 1/3 credit for time served in custody and new amendments allow the sheriff to release inmates early by cutting an additional 25 days from their sentence from 5 days to 30 days to address overcrowding. A great deal of the overcrowding in the Jail is a result of delays in the Court system, and lack of a fully implemented pre-trial release program.

There are a number of maintenance and repairs that need attention. Response: I agree with this finding.

Female staffing continues to be inadequate. Gender specific positions can be advertised for a detention facility. Response: I agree with this finding.

There is a mixing of inmates that are pre-trial, trustee, and felony offenders. Response: I agree with this finding.

Lack of supervisorial personnel and funding has been the catch all excuse for many years. With the County's limited resources, management must prioritize both staffing and funding needs. Response: I disagree with this finding in part. Lack of personnel and funding is not an excuse. It is a reality in Trinity County. There have been continual on-going recruitments for law enforcement personnel. Often times we are unable to get qualified candidates out of the applicant pool. As to funding, in a County with stagnant revenues and rising costs, there will always be more need than there is funding. The Board of Supervisors has consistently funded public safety at a higher level than any other County service. Additionally, substantial funds have been expended in the past two fiscal years on maintenance, repairs, and equipment replacement at the jail.