Sheriff Wins $100 Million Grant For Jail Expansion

Finding the space to place Riverside County jail inmates may be a little easier in the future thanks to a $100 million allocation from the state county officials were informed of today.

"We are excited about the news," said Sheriff Stan Sniff. "(E)xpanding our local system is critical ... if we are to keep our communities across Riverside County safe. The release of any inmates due simply to jail overcrowding is not suitable to any of us in the criminal justice system."

The State Corrections Authority announced that the county will be among 11 statewide to receive a total of $602 million in bond revenue under the 2011 Public Safety Realignment Act, approved in April. Los Angeles and Orange counties are each also receiving $100 million, while smaller sums are being awarded to other counties.

"This provides a major boost for California counties to house local inmates safely and effectively," said Matthew Cate, the authority chairman and secretary of the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation. "These awards, coupled with the ongoing funding to counties, demonstrate California's commitment to helping our counties successfully implement realignment."

Assembly Bill 109, the realignment legislation, which took effect Oct. 1, mandated that individuals convicted of crimes that fall into the non-violent, non-serious, non-sexually oriented category, and whose principal offense results in a sentence of three years or less, are to be incarcerated in county jails.

So-called "non's" or "N3s" -- including driving under the influence offenders, drug users, child abusers and identity thieves -- released from prison are also to be supervised by county probation agents, instead of parole officers with the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, as was traditionally the case.

The law was touted as an efficiency measure by Gov. Jerry Brown and other lawmakers, who implemented it in response to a federal court decree that California reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates over the next two years because of overcrowding.

The law has increased crowding in local jails, according to county public safety officials.

In the first four months AB 109 has been operational, 570 non's have been sentenced to jail time locally, according to a probation department report. It said nearly 2,000 are expected to receive jail sentences in the first full year.

Since Jan. 1, more than 600 inmates have been released from county jails early to make room for the influx. For the last 20 years, the county has been under a federal court order requiring that every detainee have a bed -- or sheriff's officials must reduce the jail population. Early releases are known as federal "kickouts."

The county has just under 4,000 inmate beds. According to sheriff's officials, the $100 million infusion will go toward adding another 1,200 beds.

The Indio Jail is listed as a top capital improvement priority, but county officials emphasized that even with the state funding boost, expansion of the facility is still several years away.

Sniff also noted that the county, which is facing a $10 million to $80 million shortfall in the coming fiscal year, must still dig up $10 million in matching funds required under the terms of the corrections authority award. Ferreting out that money will likely be one of the topics of budget hearings scheduled for the end of this month.