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| Budget Strains County Jail, Juvenile Hall |
| By Amy Sylvestri - San Leandro Times |
| Published: 03/26/2009 |
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Alameda County supervisors and law enforcement officers held a forum at the Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro recently to protest proposed cuts to the state budget that they say will harm California’s correctional system. While some youthful offenders sat quietly in classrooms, and others banged loudly at the windows of their cells, county officials warned against the damage budget cuts would do to Alameda County. The County Jails Are Near Capacity The juvenile justice center and the adult jail facilities in Dublin and Oakland are nearing capacity, but the state proposes putting a cap on the number of prisoners to be transported to their facilities. This will lead to a back-up at the local level — a situation one county official called “triage.” About 60 Alameda County inmates are sentenced each week and transported to state prisons. If the cap is put in place, the state won’t allow these prisoners to be moved until an opening is found at the state level, meaning that number of inmates in the county system will swell. To prevent such a backup, Alameda County Assistant Sheriff James Baker said that 40,000 to 60,000 California prisoners might have to be released early and without proper parole. He added that if criminals get time off their sentences for no reason, it will make jail time less of a deterrent. “Not only would these offenders be back out on the street, but when you look at recidivism rates, we can guess about half of them will commit another crime and be back in the system again,” said Baker. “These trials and bookings will cost all over again.” Baker said that Alameda County’s “share” of the releases would probably be around 4,000 inmates. “Currently, we are trying to identify our lower risk inmates,” said Baker. “Looking at things like vehicle thefts and burglaries, but unfortunately even with nonviolent crimes the rate of re-offense is 50 to 70 percent within two years.” County Could Be Called Upon to Handle More Probation Cases Baker said that the lack of proper parole only increases the chance of a released convict committing another crime. County figures show that only 4,000 parolees can be fully monitored at one time. The state would also count on the county to absorb other responsibilities if the budget is cut. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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