Prison Realignment
February 20, 2012
Should prisons save money by releasing older inmates?
An inmate at the Mule Creek State Prison sits on his bunk bed in a gymnasium that was modified to house prisoners August 28, 2007 in Ione, California.
A panel of three federal judges is looking to put a cap on the California State Prison population after class action lawsuits were filed on behalf of inmates who complained of being forced to live in classrooms, gymnasiums and other non-traditional prison housing...
LINK - SCPR.org
February 19, 2012
Fresno County jail clashes blamed on realignment
Fresno County Jail inmate Jose Cuevas last week drove a pencil into the neck of cellmate Troy Phillips 22 times, according to Sheriff's Office reports.
While sheriff's officials still are searching for a motive in the attack, it's the latest in an uptick of jail violence that they say likely is tied to new responsibilities handed down by the state...
LINK - FresnoBee.com
February 19, 2012
Is county coping with prison shift?
In the midst of most government budgets continuing to be cut or stabilizing at best, there is one program growing here in Shasta County — a program for county residents convicted of low-level offenses.
This statewide effort reflects a fundamental shift from incarceration in state prisons to incarceration and rehabilitation at the county level. For Shasta County, the impact will be significant. The number of offenders is large. Equally challenging is the necessary change in attitude. For an area like ours where personal responsibility and limited government are strongly held beliefs, creating the appropriate service network and supervision for low-level offenders to build productive lives may, unfortunately, be of low priority...
LINK - Redding.com
February 17, 2012
Contra Costa feeling impact from state prison shift
More than four months after California transferred responsibility for low-level offenders to counties, law enforcement officials in Contra Costa County are seeing far more inmates than projected.
Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bills 109 and 117, which shifted the responsibility for monitoring, tracking and imprisoning low-level offenders previously bound for state prison to county jails.
The unprecedented move stemmed from an October 2010 U.S. Supreme Court order that deemed overcrowded conditions in California's 33 prisons unconstitutional...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 17, 2012
Martinez Jail Population Swells As A Result Of State Prison Transfer
More than four months after California transferred responsibility for low-level offenders to counties, law enforcement officials in Contra Costa County are seeing far more inmates than projected.
The county's main detention facility in Martinez has been the most heavily impacted since realignment took effect, Casten said. He said it is the only county jail able to accept "special needs" inmates -- those with gang affiliations or who require prescription medications for mental health issues...
LINK - Martinez.Patch.com
February 15, 2012
High-Needs Kids and Juvenile Justice Reforms
As California and the nation continue to struggle with budget crises, creative and cost-effective approaches in the provision of services for high-needs youthful offender populations are becoming increasingly necessary.
Leaders in California, Georgia and New York have recently called for reform or “realignment” of their out-of-date state-run juvenile justice systems. While the urgency for reform in many states is a result of strained state budgets, it serves as an opportunity to engage juvenile justice stakeholders to restructure their juvenile justice systems in a more efficient and effective manner...
LINK - CaliforniaProgressReport.com
February 15, 2012
California privacy laws keep police from getting parolees’ names
The state of California has begun handing counties the responsibility of monitoring tens of thousands of parolees, but police chiefs don't know who they are.
State privacy laws prevent probation agents, who now handle the cases of most prisoners when they're released, from giving out the names to local police.
It is an oversight state lawmakers did not consider when they changed the structure of the parole system last year, police chiefs told The Desert Sun this week...
LINK - MyDesert.com
February 14, 2012
L.A. County explores inmate relocation to facilities in Kern County
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida told 17 News on Tuesday that L.A. County is considering sending inmates to empty correctional facilities in Kern County.
Realignment of California prisons has placed added pressure on the county, forcing it to release some inmates early. Now, some local correctional facilities sit empty, waiting for someone to send inmates their way.
But, the inmates that do go there might be more likely to come from Los Angeles than somewhere in Kern County...
LINK - KGET.com
February 10, 2012
AB 109 Negotiations UPDATE
Over the last several months, CCPOA and the state have been in negotiations regarding the impact of the AB 109 Reductions. Due to AB 109, passed by the Legislature and the “Overcrowding Order” issued by the Supreme Court, the state sent out approximately 30,000 SROA letters informing staff that they were possibly subject to layoff. In an effort to mitigate the number of CCPOA employees actually laid off, CCPOA agreed to the first Wave of four Opportunities. Through this agreement relocation opportunities throughout the state, as well as additional OTAP and PICO positions for bid by seniority, were made available to staff effected by the layoff...
February 9, 2012
Update: Calif. budget crunchers hear youth-prison closure debate
Players in the fight to shut down — or keep open — the last of California’s state-run youth prisons are meeting this week where the action is: Gov. Jerry Brown’s Department of Finance, where the nitty-gritty of state budgeting gets done.
Struggling with the costs of incarceration generally, California could become the first state to wipe out is state juvenile jail division and the last of three prisons in a highly discredited system...
LINK - iWatchNews.org
