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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 03141989 - 2.3 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Gerald S. Buck, l=' County Probation Officer g •s Costa " DATE: March 9, 1989 County O°sTq 66--- SUBJECT. County Justice System Subvention Program, FY 1989-90 Proposed Reduction SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Accept report from the County Probation Officer, District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner, Director of Health Services, Public Defender, Criminal Justice Agency and County Administrator on the potential impact of reductions in the CJSSP as proposed in the Governor' s budget. 2. That the Board of Supervisors strongly support the retention of subvention funds for the CJSSP in the State budget. 3 . That the County Administrator be authorized to work diligently toward this end, utilizing the support of the County' s legislative advocate, impacted County Departments, the County' s legislative delegation and others. 4. That the County Administrator also be authorized to solicit support from the cities of the County through the Mayors' Conference toward the retention of the CJSSP. FINANCIAL IMPACT Subvention funds support projects and programs that are integral to operation of the County' s Justice System. In FY 1988-89, $1,740, 973 in subvention funds have been allocated. The Governor's proposal would reduce this to $405,289 ( -$1,335,684, or -770) as shown below: CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _X YES SIGNATURE: (See attached) RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURES): ACTION OF BOARD ON March 14, 1989 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X & OTHER X Also, REQUESTED County Administrator to develop a letter-writing campaign for participation by County employees, residents of the County's juvenile facilities and the public, urging the retention of the subvention funds; AUTHORIZED an invitation to the Governor and the County's legislative delegation to visit the Byron Boys Ranch; and REQUESTED the County Administrator to review the feasibility of taking some of the Boys Ranch residents to Sacramento during budget hearings on this matter. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT I I I ) 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. County Probation Officer CC: District Attorney ATTESTED ��, /989 Sheriff-Coroner PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Health Services Director SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Public Defender Criminal Justice Agency County Administrator BY M382 (10/88) DEPUTY -2- Criminal Justice Agency - Planning, $ 39,116 Coordination and Evaluation Byron Boys ' Ranch - Juvenile Facility 825,459 Martinez Detention Facility - Mental 148,248 Health Services District Attorney. - Adult PreTrial 180,620 Diversion City of Brentwood - East County Youth 82 ,354 and Family Services Sheriff's Department - Friends Outside 35,584 Battered Women' s Alternatives - 24 ,303 Men' s Diversion Program Total Funds in Jeopardy $1,335 ,684 Mandated programs for which funding is to come from the Victim' s Restitution Fund: District Attorney Juvenile Court Functions $ 253 ,334 Public Defender Juvenile Court Functions 75,955 Probation Home Supervision 76,000 Total Funds "Protected" on a Reimbursement Basis $ 405,289 BACKGROUND A. History of CJSSP and Earlier. 1940 ' s - The State and counties agreement that youth can be better housed and served at local level. Camps, Ranches and School Subsidy established providing for construction and operation of local commitment beds from State General Fund (operating subsidy reached $95 per month per bed) . 1960 ' s - Probation Subsidy Program established wherein the State paid counties $4,000 for each adult and juvenile offender they retained in the community--base commitment rates established to set performance factor for counties. 1976 - AB 3121 passed to bring State into compliance with Federal Deinstitutionalization of Status Offender law. Also required District Attorney to file 601 and 602 petitions instead of Probation Officer; required appointment of counsel for minor in all cases; mandated home supervision with ratio of 1:10; mandated non-secure detention for 601 's - cost of implementing were originally to be offset by decreased costs at juvenile halls. 1978 - AB 90 passed: ( 1) to expand concept of Probation subsidy to community corrections including cities, community-based organizations and others as eligible for funding - develop local options to State incarceration and after passage of Proposition 13 and successful claims by counties for AB 3121 costs, it also became ( 2) the only vehicle for recovering counties ' costs of implementing AB 3221. . Hence, two prior subventions were rolled into one (Camps, ' Ranches and Schools and Probation Subsidy) with an expanded eligibility base and a modified performance factor and combined with a reimbursement vehicle for a State mandated local program (Chapter 1071/76) . The Governor's budget language removes all but the funds with which to reimburse counties for the cost of Chapter 1071/76. The Senate Bill carrying the Governor' s budget has an appropriation .for $30,398,000 for all categories in Section 1806 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. -3- B. Statewide Impacts of Proposed Cuts Currently CJSSP funds support local correctional programs ( 34%) , County run juvenile correctional facilities ( 230) , crime and delinquency prevention services (140) , and local administrative and coordination costs ( 2%) . Statewide, County Probation Departments receive 59%, District Attorneys 180, Public Defenders 4%, CAos 4%, Sheriffs 2%, Courts 1% and other non-County agencies 12%. Statewide, $4 million in prevention services, $12 million in correctional services and $15 million in Juvenile facility programs would be lost. A poll conducted by the California Youth Authority reflects that 2,700 juvenile facility beds would be lost and that up to 4,500 additional commitments per year to CYA could be expected. Since that State agency is already 150% crowded, the Director has projected that the cost of these additional commitments could easily reach $110 million. Contra Costa County Programmatic Impacts On February 23 , 1989 representatives from. County Departments and programs affected by the proposed cuts met to review the impact of losses in revenues. Findings are summarized below: Probation - Loss of $825,459 Funds in jeopardy are used to meet 60% of the cost of operating Byron Boys' Ranch. The Department is unable to absorb cut without eliminating services. Gerald Buck, County Probation officer, indicates that cost reductions would result in closure of two secure residential treatment programs for seriously delinquent court wards--the Boys' Treatment Center (20 beds) and the Girls' Treatment Center (19 beds) . In 1988, 168 wards were committed to these programs. Without these facilities, it is expected as many as half of such commitments would have been appropriate for commitment to the California Youth Authority, one-third would, perhaps, be ordered into group homes and some additional Ranch commitments would have occurred. He noted that absent these facilities crowding of Juvenile Hall would be further aggravated as those youth served are the most seriously in need of locked detention. District Attorney - Loss of $180,620 Funds in jeopardy are utilized for Adult offender PreTrial Diversion. The District Attorney would be unable to absorb this loss of revenue and would need to terminate this program and lay off staff. About 2,000 additional adult offenders would have to be processed through the Courts and Probation Department. It is anticipated that more criminals would be placed on formal probation and/or be incarcerated in jail. Restitution for victims and community service sanctions now utilized in the program would be sacrificed. Mental Health Services-MDF - Loss of $148,248 Loss of these funds would eliminate three full-time treatment specialists and mean the termination of the night and evening mental health screening program at the Martinez Detention Facility. Health Services and the Sheriff's Department would be unable to absorb this loss within their Departments. Health and Sheriff ' s officials predict that these cuts would be life threatening in terms of suicide prevention deterrence of, sexual attacks and jail management. It is also projected that some prisoners would not be accepted by the facility at booking or would have to be hospitalized out of county. -4- Friends Outside - Loss of $35,584 The loss of these funds represents 380 of this association's budget. Friends Outside offers a myriad of services to inmates and their families which cannot be provided by County services. Sheriff' s officials report they are highly dependent upon Friends Outside and absent their services, jail management would be seriously hampered. It was also noted thattheir services were a part of the negotiations with the Deputy Sheriffs' Association relative to staffing ratios. Battered Women' s Alternatives - Loss of $24,303 This loss is about one-third of this agency' s budget and provides staffing for the men' s program, which serves 300 diversionary domestic violence cases. Forty-five percent of these men are referred by the Probation Department. Without these funds six volunteers would be lost as well as the outreach programs in Richmond and Antioch. It is expected that loss of these services would be significantly felt by the Probation Department, which is responsible for the offenders. Youth and Family Services - Loss of $82,354 This East County regional service for youth assessment, counseling and diversion services is highly dependent upon their grant which accounts for 700 of their operating costs. Under sponsorship of the City of Brentwood, Youth and Family Services (YFS) has diverted 200 youth per year from referral to the Probation Department. Absent these services Proba- tion would receive and have to process these delinquency referrals. In addition, YFS provides assessment and counseling services within Probation facilities in order to expedite and. maximize success upon the youth' s return to the community. Absent these services more failures of institutional graduates are expected. Criminal Justice Agency (CAO) - Loss of $39,116 These funds in CJA are utilized to provide administrative oversight, staff services and special studies for the justice system of the County, such as alternatives to incarceration and planning for the West County Detention Facility. Loss of these funds would negate sound planning and decision making in the administration of a coordinated justice program at the County leve . y Gerald S. Buck Gary T. ncey County Pr-eb b Of c .r— Distric tto icha K. `Rne M rk Finucan Sh f-Co o09 D' tor, alth Services (4V127 Charles J es G�eorg%7,-yo_ekier, Director of Public Def/ander Justice System Programs Phil Batchelor Clemitt Swagerty, Chqr County Adminisator Correctional and Detention Services Advisory Commission atalie Russell, Chairperson Juvenile Justice-Delinquency Prevention Commission