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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 10201992 - I.O.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I.O . - 2 Contra FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa County DATE: i,,_ October 12 , 1992 SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON EFFORTS TO CONTROL THE POPULATION AT JUVENILE HALL SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATIONS)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Accept the attached report from the County Probation Officer on efforts which have been made to control the population at Juvenile Hall, including the "cap" which has been placed on the population in Juvenile Hall 'by the Juvenile Court. 2 . Request the County Probation Officer Ito advise our .Committee on October 26, 1992 whether the -State Department of Social Services has approved the use of the "Sherman House" facility as an AFDC-financed short stay program for placement cases now being held unnecessarily in Juvenile Hall. BACKGROUND: On August 11, 1992, the Board of Supervisors authorized our Committee to retain jurisdiction over issues dealing the population at Juvenile Hall, efforts to "cap" or otherwise keep the population within reasonable limits, and the question of where violence-prone youngsters are placed at Juvenile Hall . CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): enti:nm TSruRnSTI NNE SNNE WRIGHT McPEAK ACTION OF BOARD ON ,ober 70, 1992 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS L 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT T ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. C� CC: ATTESTED See Page 2 PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382 (10/88) BY DEPUTY I.O. - 2 Our Committee met with the County Probation Officer, members of the Juvenile Hall Replacement Advisory Group, members of the Grand Jury, and other interested individuals on October 12, 1992 . Mr. Buck presented the, attached report to our Committee and reviewed it with us . The report notes that Judge Minney has placed a cap of 130 on the population at Juvenile Hall . While the population has not been above 125 since July, Mr. Buck expects that over the next several months the population cap will become a reality, requiring a careful evaluation of every child before admission to the Hall . Once the cap is reached, each child that is admitted will require that another child be released. Mr. Buck' s report notes the steps which are being taken to use alternatives to detention in the Hall whenever feasible and appropriate. In particular, our Committee was pleased to learn of the possibility that the State will approve the former "Sherman House" facility for use as a short stay facility for placement cases who are now held in Juvenile Hall, often unnecessarily. The placements would be funded by the AFDC Program and operated by Children' s Home Society. Mr. Buck expects to hear from the State about this possibility within the next few weeks . We have asked Mr. Buck to report back to our Committee on October 26, 1992 and let us know whether the County has been given this approval by the State. cc: County Administrator Judge John C. Minney, Juvenile Court Judge Gerald S. Buck, County Probation Officer Annemarie M. Goldstein, Foreman, 1992-93 Grand Jury Clyde Parkhurst, Co-Chairman Juvenile Hall Replacement Advisory Group George Roemer, Senior Deputy County Administrator 2 Probation Department Contra Gerald S.Buck onO County Probation Officer Administrative Offices Costa 50 Douglas Drive,Suite 201 County Martinez,California 94553-8500 (510)313-4180 (510)313-4191 FAX Date: 10/12/92 To: Internal Operations Comm. , ; ; Board of Supervisors From: Gerald S. Buck, Subject: Juvenile Hall Population Count Probation Officer Containment Report. Court Ordered Cap On September 1, 1992, by order of Judge John Minney, the population at Juvenile Hall may not exceed 130. Police agencies are directed to contact Probation Intake before delivery of non-violent, less serious offenders. Should the capacity be exceeded, a "one-in/one- out" process will be implemented using the Department's Detention . Risk Scale which consists of severity of offense, prior offenses, likelihood of flight, and availability of 'a responsible parent or other adult to care for the minor. All serious offenders (high level felony) shall remain in custody. Since the Court ordered this maximum capacity, it has not been necessary to implement the one-in/one-out process. This is not to say certain youth who ought to be detained are not as a result of the diminished bed capacity. Population July 1, 1992 - October 5 , 1992 Average Population High Low July 129 138 108 August 112 125 89 September 100 124 86 October 1-5 116 119 111 It is expected that there will be greater difficulty in maintaining the maximum population over the next six to eight months, which tend to be the highest population months in the past. Average Average Average Average Jul-Sep Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-Jun 1990-91 131 146 148 137 1991-92 115 130 145 138 1992-93 114 I .O. Committee -2- 10/12/92 Nature of In-Custody Population As the capacity to detain must be contained and those who are most releasable are released, those who remain at Juvenile Hall will be the most violent, most volatile and most difficult to handle youthful offenders. This presents special needs and potential problems for Juvenile Hall custodial and care staff. Generally, the risk of escape and violent episodes at Juvenile Hall will increase proportionately. Steps are being taken to improve the physical structure, to train staff and to develop policies and procedures with this in mind. Currently, the population consists of those awaiting court action and those awaiting delivery to placement elsewhere. Twenty percent of the population are delinquent wards with a group foster home placement court order who await either a rehearing or delivery to a placement. ' Alternatives to Detention In-home supervision, both ..pre and post disposition, is currently fully staffed and maximized. At any given time 50 to 75 youth are diverted from Juvenile Hall. Since the closure of the Sherman House runaway shelter, we have been working with the Children' s Home Society to develop and operate an AFDC funded short-stay program for placement cases now in Juvenile Hall. We hope this will be open by November, 1992 and we also plan to have short-term foster families as an additional alternative. These programs will divert six to ten more youth from Juvenile Hall and better provide for their care and treatment. GSB:ds Attachment IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA- - JUVENILE DIVISION ORDER FIXING CAP AT JUVENILE HALL The California Youth Authority has determined that the Juvenile Hall may house no more than 140 youth. The Court has- previously ruled that no more than 2 youth may occupy a room at one time. The Hall remains seriously overcrowded on a regular basis despite efforts to divert youth from occupancy by regular communication with police agencies seeking to avoid arrest and detention for lesser offenders. Those youth that must be detained at the Hall represent more and more serious offenses; in addition, the size and age of the population make it dangerous for staff to'handle them in large numbers. The County has allowed the Probation Department to overspend its Hall budget by $250, 000 - $400, 000 annually to open unoccupied units to relieve pressures and tensions caused by the excess detainees who have no other place to sleep. The County has instructed that they will no longer authorize the overspending, and there are no replacement funds to enable the Hall to handle over 140 detainees. Its therefore necessary to take the following steps to ensure the safety of the detained youth and the staff and to enable the Probation Department to discharge its duties to the detainees and the community. IT IS ORDERED THAT: 1. The Hall population shall be capped at 130, subject to the procedures hereafter stated. 2 . The number may rise to 135 for no more than 24 calendar hours if the number of intakes exceed the ability of staff to effect the releases necessary to achieve the 130 figure. 3. When the population hAs 130, a "one in, one out" process is to be implemented, using the detention risk scale presently in effect as a guide. Where case facts warrant, staff may pass over a minor with a lower score and consider others with a higher score.