As you are aware, Sheriff Jim Pendergraph has requested additional jail beds for pre-trial inmates to alleviate crowded conditions at Jail Central.  The primary driver of this crowding relates to ongoing challenges in moving people from arrest to adjudication, which results in longer jail stays. 

 

Our scorecard goal calls for the rate of change in our pre-trial population to be less than or equal to the arrest rate, and no greater than a 2% increase annually.  However, in FY06, our pre-trial jail population increased by 12.12%, while the arrest rate increased by 3.75%. 

 

There are three broad choices to mitigate crowding: add more jail beds; reduce the pre-trial jail population; or a combination of both.  Each choice has challenges and consequences. 

 

 

 

Adding more jail beds will increase the County’s capital and operating costs considerably.  In addition, there is a significant challenge finding enough qualified detention officers to supervise more inmates.  Timing also is a concern, since it will take approximately four years to construct new beds that would be permanent. Currently, the Sheriff’s Office is exploring opportunities for modular construction that would meet short-term needs, while we explore long-term solutions.
    

 

The April 2005 report provided by Dr. Paul Friday and Dr. Joseph Kuhns of University of North Carolina at Charlotte offered several recommendations, including: targeting those in custody as a priority for adjudication; increasing alternatives to arrest, diversion programs or increased citations for first time adult DUI/DWI offenders, drug offenders and non-aggravated assault offenders; developing a county-wide arrest policy; enhancing the process for fast track adjudication; expanding the list of defendants eligible for pre-trial release and increasing supervision options; and increasing staffing for clerks and court recorders. 

 

Some communities have begun to address this driver of jail population through jail diversion services targeted to those arrested with mental illness.  A recent report from the U.S. Department of Justice shows that more than half the people incarcerated have mental health problems.  However, only 25% of those jailed with mental health problems are incarcerated for a violent offense.  The report says many who fill local jails have been arrested for petty, non-violent offenses, including public drunkenness, vagrancy, trespassing and attempted suicide. 

 

Bexar County, TX (San Antonio) has a jail diversion program established by the mental health authority that over four years has diverted more than 4,000 people with mental illness from incarceration to treatment, saving the county an estimated $5 million annually.  A similar program in Michigan reportedly saves the county $80,000 to $100,000 a month on incarceration costs. 

 

Although the Sheriff’s Office and the County Area Mental Health Authority (AMH) provide substance abuse services in the jails, inmate participation is voluntary and it does not include other mental health diagnoses.

 

The County’s Area Mental Health Authority (AMH) is already considering this issue as part of a staff jail diversion committee.  However, this alternative and others mentioned above raise several policy and funding questions for the Board and the community.  As a result, more evaluation and discussion is needed.

 

Next Steps  

 

We anticipate placing this item on the October 10 public policy workshop to discuss options for addressing short-term jail needs.  We also will seek Board direction regarding choices for long-term solutions.  At that time, we will provide additional details to define the key policy and funding choices and consequences for the Board.