PLACER
COUNTY PROBATION DEPARTMENT
- ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING PROGRAM
Click
here for Placer
County’s presentation to the Board of Supervisors
Click
here for Placer County's Power Point presentation
E-Mail Program Contact Person: Marshall
Hopper
On September 26, 2007, Emergency Legislation (SB959) was enacted authorizing
offenders to be placed on Involuntary Alternative Sentencing which resulted
in new law, Penal
Code Section 1203.017. SB959 was co-authored by Senators Romero and Runner
and designed specifically to address a long term jail overcrowding problem in
the State of California. SB959 supplements existing law (1203.016
PC and 4024.2
PC) and establishes mandatory home detention/electronic monitoring for eligible
misdemeanants sentenced to county jails. In addition, the provisions of this
new law combined with the provisions outlined in existing law, Penal
Code Section 4024.3, enables a broad spectrum of alternative sentencing
options to hold offenders accountable while managing a long term state wide
overcrowding problem.
The following information listed below provides an overview of the Placer County
Probation Department’s voluntary alternative sentencing programs and the
newly established involuntary program.
Adult Work Release Program:
- Last year, the Adult
Work Release participants completed over 102 thousand hours of work in our
community and the program saved over 13 thousand jail bed days.
- Based on the current
jail bed day rates, the program saved over 96 thousand dollars per month.
- In addition, the Adult
Work Release Program generated over 267 thousand dollars in revenue through
the collection of program fees.
- The total jail bed day
savings cost for the year exceeded 1.1 million dollars.
- This program demonstrates a total positive financial impact in the amount 1.4 million dollars to the county.
Electronic Monitoring Program:
- Last year over 800 offenders participated on the Electronic Monitoring program, resulting in over 15 thousand jail bed days saved.
- The Average cost savings per month resulting from jail bed days saved exceeded 114 thousand dollars per month.
- Total bed day cost savings for the year exceeded: 1.3 million dollars
- The Electronic Monitoring program generated over 218 thousand dollars last year in revenue through the collection of program fees.
- Last years total positive financial impact exceeds 1.5 million dollars.
Involuntary Alternative Sentencing Program:
- September 2007 Emergency Legislation (SB959) passed authorizing offenders to be placed on Involuntary Alternative Sentencing to reduce jail overcrowding.
- As a result Penal Code Section 1203.017 was established.
- SB959 enhances public safety and offender accountability.
- In August 2008, the Placer County BOS approved and authorized the Correctional Administrator to implement the Involuntary Alternative Sentencing Program.
- Prior to the implementation of the program, the jail exceeded 90% of rated capacity for over a decade.
- Last year the jail released hundreds of inmates early resulting in 95 years of custody time not served. During this time, it was not uncommon for inmates to serve a small portion of their court ordered sentence and get released on an “early kick.”
- At the start of the program (September 15, 2008) the population was 601 or 93% of the Maximum Rated Capacity.
- So far over 100 inmates have been redirected to appropriate Alternative Sentencing Programs.
- Since this program was implemented, the jail population has been as low as 498 and as high as 555. Regardless of the numbers, the jail population is well below the 90% mark of 581 inmates.
- Early Releases have been nearly eliminated and the new jail design proposal has been reduced from 984 beds to 360 beds.
- This program has resulted in a potential cost avoidance of 220 to 250 million dollars based on potential construction costs and 5 years of staffing costs.
- Without our current programs (voluntary and involuntary), approximately 250 additional inmates would need to be housed in the Placer County Jail daily
Other Resourses:
Placer County Board of Supervisors Resolution for Implementation of the Program
Do the crime, do the time? Mabye not in California, Shasta State Sheriff's Association, June 2006
