NACo Releases Report re: County Jail Populations

The National Association of Counties (NACo) released a new research report today that looks at the pretrial population, policies and practices in county jails throughout the country. County Jails at a Crossroads: An Examination of the Jail Population and Pretrial Release.

Counties own 87 percent of all jails in the United States through which they provide supervision, detention and other correctional services in an effort to protect public safety and reduce recidivism. Using the results of a 2015 NACo survey of county jails, the report examines policies impacting pretrial release in county jails. The report focuses on the following two areas:

The Majority of the Confined County Jail Population Is Pretrial and Low Risk

Two-thirds of the confined population in county jails is pretrial and the proportion reaches three-quarters in almost half of county jails. This trend is more pronounced in jails located in small counties — with less than 50,000 residents — and medium- sized counties — with populations between 50,000 and 250,000 residents. Forty (40) percent of responding county jails use a validated risk assessment at booking. Most often, these jails identify a majority of their confined jail population as low risk. Because these tools are used at booking, when defendants are admitted to jail after arrest, jails are identifying most of their pretrial population as low risk.

County Jails Are Caught Between Courts’ Decision-Making and Increases in the Jail Population and Jail Costs

Pretrial release decision-making is a product of the court. Understanding the impact of courts’ decision-making, especially during pretrial, on the jail population is important for counties with rapidly rising jail populations and costs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, the jail population increased by 20 percent between 2000 and 2012 with the pretrial population comprising a rising share, while county corrections costs soared by 74 percent. Forty-four (44) percent of responding county jails to the 2015 NACo survey report that managing jail costs is one of their top challenges. Reducing the jail population — especially the number of people with mental illnesses — is a priority for almost three quarters of responding jails. More than 65 percent of county jails report that their county boards are willing to collaborate on reducing the jail population and jail costs. One of the report’s recommendations is that counties can serve as conveners, bringing together the court and jail representatives to discuss and implement strategies that may effectively address the pretrial population in jail.

New Member Appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections

The Honorable Ramona Garrett has been appointed by the Judicial Council of California to serve as a member of the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). Judge Garrett retired from the Solano County Superior Court in May 2015 after a career as a judge of the municipal and superior courts, including a term as presiding judge, and as a prosecutor in two counties. She fills a legislatively mandated slot on the Board that is designated for a judge and replaces Judge William Pounders (Ret.) of Los Angeles.

Judge Garrett received her Juris Doctor degree from UC Davis School of Law in 1980, the same year that she was admitted to the bar. She was in private practice before joining the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office in 1982. In 1984 she became a prosecutor in Solano County, where she served until being appointed to the Bench in 1992. We look forward to welcoming Judge Garrett in person at the July 16, 2015 Board meeting.

Additional Funding for the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Program 

The 2015-16 Budget signed by the Governor provided an additional $1.7 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Program (MIOCR). At the Board of State Community Corrections (BSCC) June meeting, the Board directed staff to allocate any additional MIOCR funding that was included in the 2015-16 budget to the next eligible county on the approved list. As a result, the partially funded counties will receive full grants. Specifically, El Dorado will receive $739,528 for a total of $950,000 to use for adult mental health programs and Solano will receive $665,628 for a total of $761,322 for juvenile mental health programs. Staff is working with Tuolumne County, which is next on the ranked list for juvenile projects and Nevada County, which is next on the ranked list for adult projects, to determine if they would like to accept partial funding. If either county declines, staff will continue down the approved list, continuing to split the funds 50/50 between adult and juvenile programs.