LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors agreed on Tuesday to restore six unfunded correctional officer positions in response to new demands at the jail as a result of the state's correctional realignment.
AB 109, signed by the governor in 2011, implemented correctional realignment, which shifts nonviolent, nonserious and non sex offenders to serve their sentence in county jails instead of state prisons. It also places some parolees under the supervision of county probation.
Correctional realignment has resulted in a greater draw on local resources, and led the sheriff's office to ask the board to restore the positions.
Undersheriff Pat Turturici presented the request to the board.
“On May 7 we’ll be hiring two more correctional officers so we’ll basically be at full staff with the funded positions and we’re requesting that six additional unfunded positions be restored,” Turturici said.
The jail currently has four teams, each consisting of six correctional officers and one sergeant, he explained.
There also are eight transport officers. Turturici said jail staff transports up to 50 inmates to court Monday through Tuesday of each week.
In addition to court transports, Turturici said the jail has an aging population that requires offsite medical visits, which is taking a lot of officers away from the facility.
He said the jail is required to conduct security checks on suicidal inmates every 15 minutes, and hourly checks on the remaining jail population.
There are now 52 inmates serving their time in the Lake County Jail who previously would have been in state prison, Turturici said.
“They're highly sophisticated and they're bringing in contraband and they're making weapons,” Turturici explained
Jail staff found one such weapon in a jail cell on Monday, he reported. “Our inmate population is becoming more dangerous as the days go by.”
To try to alleviate overcrowding, the jail has started its home detention program again, and correctional officers must go out and monitor the compliance of those individuals. Turturici said work alternative inmates also need to be periodically checked.
“For these reasons we're coming to the board and asking to fund our six unfunded positions,” Turturici said.
When board members asked about where the money would come from to cover the positions – the sheriff's report on the request said one correctional officer costs $5,100 for four weeks – County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said the cost would be in the 2012-13 fiscal year budget.
“We're basically creating an entire budget for next year already,” said Board Chair Rob Brown.
Deputy Administrative Officer Matt Perry said he's identified potential funding for the positions out of AB 109 public safety realignment money.
He said it was premature to make a definite commitment on that funding source. The request must go through a community correctional partnership committee which is meeting Friday. Perry said he intended to propose the funding help cover the positions at that meeting.
“We always talk about liability, what if something happened,” said Brown, adding if something were to happen at the jail and it wasn't fully staffed, “that to me is serious.”
He said he felt the request was reasonable, “but we've got to figure out how it's going to be funded.”
Turturici said the jail could use the new officers as soon as possible. He said it would take up to two months to hire new officers because of the lengthy background process.
Cox told the board that there was no possibility of funding the six positions through the general fund.
“It's virtually impossible. Let me assure you of that based on what the budget looks like for next year,” he said.
Cox said the AB 109 funding is the only source to cover the officers. He suggested the board approve the request contingent on AB 109 funds being available.
In the unlikely event the funding isn't available, Cox said the matter could be brought back and the resolution rescinded.
Supervisor Jim Comstock offered the resolution, which was approved 5-0.
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