Following is an outline of Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson's comments before the Board of Supervisors this morning. Our press release is here.
On May 3, 2007, the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 became law. (Also referred to as AB 900) Within its provisions, the State Public Works Board and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are authorized to enter into agreements with participating counties for the design and construction of local jail facilities.
A total of $750 million of jail construction funding is conditionally available. Funding is based on a point system using various evaluation factors, including a reentry program. These evaluation factors are addressed in the County of Orange funding proposal in hopes of securing $100 million dollars to support construction at the James A. Musick facility.
Scope of Project at the James A. Musick Facility
1.This first phase supports the design and construction of a new state of the art secure 1,536 bed facility at James A. Musick
2.This first phase also includes design and construction of supporting facilities such as warehousing, administration, laundry, kitchen, and central plant. It is our goal to centralize operations such as laundry and cook chill for the entire jail system to provide long term savings for the County.
Key Points Regarding System Needs and Capacities
1.The Orange County jail system is operating at an average of 129% of its rated capacity
2.A current needs assessment demonstrates a projected need for 3,217 additional rated beds by the year 2011.
3.There is a projected need for a total of 8,296 in the year 2011.
4.While the County’s 2007 average daily population was 6,554, the County’s projected ADP for the year 2011 is expected to reach 7,626.
5.Orange County has been experiencing a period of significant growth, increasing in population by 13.5% over the ten-year period from 1996-2006 according to the US Census Bureau.
6.A 19.6% increase in average length of stays (ALOS) over the last 10 years has created more demand on jail systems in the County of Orange.
Key Points Regarding Reentry
1.Siting reentry in the County of Orange helps us to secure important evaluation factor points that will contribute to maximum funding.
2.Reentry programming provides an opportunity to provide educational, vocational and behavior modification instruction to reintegrate individuals within their last six months to one year of incarceration.
3.These reentry inmates are from Orange County and will return to our County with or without programming.
•In the Fall of 2007, there were 9,141 State inmates from the County of Orange in the State’s prison system. (Additional information on annual releases has been requested.)
•Theo Lacy currently has over 900 inmates who have either been to state prison in the past or are awaiting transfer to state prison.
4.OCSD is proposing to work with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to:
•Site reentry at an existing secure facility in Orange County.
•Operate reentry security and programming by OCSD personnel.
5.292 beds will be made available using one of the current barracks at Theo Lacy.
This loss of beds will be offset by:
•Working with the State on timely transfers of inmates recently sentenced to State prison.
•Expanding the Sheriff’s Community Work Program.
6.Prisoners selected by the State for reentry are based on:
•Their risk to re-offend, not “high security risk”.
•Their willingness to voluntarily program.
•70% recidivism rate of state prisons
•25% reduction in recidivism
•10 yrs = 8,000 + less crimes in Orange County
Addressing Concerns Regarding Reentry at the Theo Lacy Facility
Specific concerns about siting reentry in the City of Orange have been raised. The Sheriff’s Department has addressed these concerns with CDCR and will continue to propose and cooperate with CDCR on solutions that address these concerns:
1.The total inmate population at Theo Lacy will not be increased as a result of this reentry assignment.
2.Classifications of State reentry inmates will be cooperative so as to meet conformance with OCSD’s classification system. OCSD will continue to work with the State to define guidelines that meet the requirements of the program and the Theo Lacy facility.
3.The Theo Lacy barracks are dormitory designs and are not conducive to high security inmates.
4.The security and programming components of the reentry program will be run and staffed by OCSD personnel. (The State’s proposed rehabilitation curriculum is consistent with the OCSD curriculum that is already in place.)
5.Programming will not include work furlough programs.
6.The Theo Lacy facility has demonstrated security and is viable for State reentry.
Key Funding Dates
1.The deadline for AB 900 funding proposals is March 18, 2008. Board approval is required today in order to meet this deadline.
2.The County will deliver a presentation of our proposal to the Executive Steering Committee April 23 or 24, 2008.
3.Conditional award by the State is scheduled for May 8, 2008.
Thank you, and I’m available for questions.