HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03051991 - 2.4 To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
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FROM: RICHARD RAINEY, Sheriff-Coroner -� ; .: Contra
CHRIS ADAMS, Chair, Correctional and '� '.•
Costa
Detention Services Advisory Commission O1
�• .:_ : .-�
DATE: February 5, 1991 County
SUBJECT: INMATE INDUSTRY PROGRAM
Specific Request(s) or Recommendations(s) & Background & Justification
RECOMMENDATION:
Reaffirm Board of Supervisors' policy adopted January 24, 1989, encouraging the
maximum development of inmate work programs consistent with rehabilitation goals and
County work policies and direct the Sheriff-Coroner, in cooperation with the
Correctional and Detention Services Advisory Commission, to begin the planning process
for the implementation of Proposition 139, the Prison Inmate Labor Initiative of 1990.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND:
In November 1990, the people of Contra Costa County and the State of California voted
to adopt Proposition 139, the Prison Labor Initiative of 1990, which states:
Section 2: The people of the State of CalifoY•nia find and declare that
inmates who are confined in state prison or county jails should work as hard
as the taxpayers who provide for their upkeep and that those inmates may be
required to perform work and services in order to do all of the following:
(a) Reimburse the State of California or counties for a portion of the
costs associated with their incarceration.
(b) Provide restitution and compensation to the victims of crime.
(c) Encourage and maintain safety in prison and jail operations.
(d) Support their families to the extent possible.
(e) Learn skills which may be used upon their return to free society.
(f) Assist in their own rehabilitation in order to become responsible
law-abiding citizens upon their release from state prison or local
jail.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES Signature:
Recommendation of County Administrator
Recommendation of Board Committee
Approve Other
Signature(s):
Action of Board on: March 5, 1991 Approved as Recommended X Other
Vote of Supervisors: I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
X Unanimous (Absent ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE
Ayes: Noes: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON DATE SHOWN.
Absent: Abstain:
Attested: 1huA,4L
cc: CAO-Justice System Programs Pnil Batchelor, Clerk of
Sheriff-Coroner the Board of Supervisors
CADSAC (via CAO) ai=d .aunty Administrator
County Administrator
By: � DEPUTY
IruVftte Industry Program
• February 5, 1991
Page 2
CADSAC and, specifically, the Inmate Work Programs Committee of CADSAC supported and
worked for the passage of Proposition 139. This action by the Board will initiate a
planning process necessary for the eventual implementation of Prop 139 in Contra Costa
County.
Proposition 139 repealed a long-standing provision of the California Constitution that
prohibited jail inmate industry programs.
Contra Costa County has long favored the development of inmate work and programs. The
Contra Costa County Adult Correctional Facilities Master Plan, approved in 1982, cites
the following goals for sentenced work programs:
♦ Sentenced inmates not classified for work/education furlough should work a
40-hour week in in-custody programs.
♦ Work and/or training activities should be meaningful, resemble outside
employment to the maximum degree possible, and teach positive work skills.
♦ All eligible sentenced inmates should spend a portion of their time working
on public projects.
♦ Assignments should be available for all eligible inmates.
♦ Work opportunities should be available equally to men and women.
This policy was reaffirmed by your Board on January 24, 1989. Several factors have
hindered the achievement of these goals. These include overcrowding in the jails,
which has limited the ability of the Sheriff's Department to emphasize rehabilitation
programs, and constraints imposed by law. The approval of Proposition 139 has now
removed the primary legal constraint on the development of the jail industry programs.
Proposition 139 requires that any inmate industry program be implemented through
County ordinance. Programs when developed will be submitted through the County
Administrator's Office to your Board for review and approval. In developing such
programs, it is the intent of both the Sheriff's Department and CADSAC to consult with
relevant labor, business, and community groups.
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