Posts Tagged ‘Realignment’
Sheriff pursues state funding to expand cells and services at West County jail
The Contra Costa County Sheriff is pursuing an $80 million state grant that could upgrade the West County Detention Facility. If awarded, Sheriff Dave Livingston plans to increase jail space and re-entry services at the 30-acre site. While Livingston got the green light to submit a proposal to the state, some supervisors and activists are proceeding with caution.
Read MoreCounty Board of Supervisors approves $4 million to invest in jail alternatives
Step foot into the Reach Fellowship for Women in North Richmond, and Dr. Edwina Perez Santiago will greet you like an excited aunt hosting a holiday dinner party. “Come on in baby,” she says to the women as they enter through the front door, a welcome accompanied by a warm smile and a handshake. There…
Read MoreContra Costa passes realignment budget
Contra Costa County officials approved a budget of more than $20 million at a meeting in Martinez today to both continue operations in the jails, probation department and courts, as well as develop community partnerships geared around reentry. More than a year after California transferred responsibility for low-levels felons to county jurisdiction, the Community Corrections…
Read MoreInside the West County Jail
When you think of a jail, what comes to mind? Bars. A cell without windows. Agitated prisoners. Maybe I watch too much TV. But when you go to the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, be prepared for something different. This is a model jail where inmates can get a high school diploma or learn…
Read MoreStill Talking: County officials commend collaboration, need realignment budget
One year has passed since California transferred responsibility for low-level felons to its counties, and Contra Costa officials have yet to pass a budget for the $19 million the county received in July to handle the transition — stalling services for inmates and people getting out of jail now. At a meeting Thursday the Community…
Read MoreThe waiting game of prisoner realignment
With a proposed jail expansion now on the back burner, county officials are spending long hours hammering out the fine print of what Contra Costa services will look like for the low-level felons who have been transferred to county jurisdiction in the last year.
Read MoreJail expansion, bail reform on table for $19 million realignment funding
Contra Costa County officials are expected to vote tomorrow morning on how to spend a $19 million grant from the state to help deal with crowded county prisons. The funding follows the state’s decision last year to transfer responsibility for many non-violent offenders to local agencies. Members of the Contra Costa County Community Corrections Partnership…
Read MoreRealignment funding formula not adding up in Contra Costa County
Not too long ago, the men now sitting around this table at the Contra Costa Probation Office were in prison. “I want to ask how long have you been in prison,” Chief Adult Probation Officer Philip Kader asks them. They respond with three, six and even 12 times. But now they’re getting a taste of their newly found freedom.
Read MoreContra Costa County realignment inmate numbers higher than predicted
One month into the state’s implementation of a major prison realignment, Contra Costa County’s parolee and inmate numbers are much higher than projected. Although the numbers themselves aren’t large, the percentages are. Parole violators in custody are almost double what was expected and so-called AB 109 commitments are 200 percent of what was estimated. “For…
Read MoreContra Costa homeless shelters unsure about effects of realignment
As the state starts to release prisoners into the supervision of the counties, Contra Costa County’s homeless shelters – where former prisoners often end up because they don’t have family or their identity reestablished upon their release – aren’t sure what to expect. Cynthia Belon, the Contra Costa Director of Behavioral Health Services, said it’s…
Read MoreRichmond moves to ban the box
On the first page of the application to work for the city of Richmond, question 14 stands out in capital letters: “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” By the end of the month, that question will be gone. The change is the first step in a campaign to “ban the box” in Richmond…
Read MoreChanging California’s prison population
Continued overcrowding in California’s state prisons brought about a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that the state’s efforts to cram in more prisoners constituted cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the Eighth Amendment. The state responded with legislation that shifts responsibility for state parolees to counties and redefines what constitutes a prison-worthy offense. That realignment…
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