It is clear that AB 109 has reduced the inmate population in the State prisons, what is not clear is the actual ramifications of this at the county level. According to CDCR AB109 has cut the number of inmates in the state's 33 prisons by more than 24,000.
At
the County level the Community Corrections
Partnership (CCP) developed a plan for implementation of prison realignment that was accepted by the BOS. The CCP is comprised of: the Chief Probation Officer, Chief
of Police, Sheriff, District Attorney, Public Defender, Presiding
Judge, and a representative from either Dept of Social service or Mental
Health appointed by the BOS.
Under AB 109 all newly convicted “non non nons” or N3s, those convicted of a non
violent, non sex offense, non serious are now sent to the County of
residence jail. Also all N3s scheduled to be paroled from the state
correctional facility would be remanded to probation supervision, again
from the County of residence. N 3's already in state prison at the time realignment
began are now monitored by county probation offices instead of the state
parole department upon their release. And, existing parolees who violate
their terms of release now go to jail, not prison.
Funding and disbursement of funds still remain a core issue within Calaveras County. 10 months after the county implemented AB109, at the July 5, 2012 BOS meeting, a position within the Sheriff Department left vacant due to the
transfer of a Deputy to the Probation Department with use of funding
from AB 109 monies was backfilled as per what Kuntz had said was the original
agreement.
Sup-plantation of AB109 funds was at the core of that decision.
After multiple attempts at contacting Chief Probation Officer Teri Hall of the Calaveras County Probation Department the Copper Gazette - nor the BOS- has yet to receive a statement with regards to the fiscal analysis of the implementation of AB 109, the issue of ankle monitors with respect to the lack of proper cell service throughout the County therefore lack of proper tracking and any possible success of the implemented programs within Calaveras County. The Gazette will continue to attempt to gather this information.
By,
Charity Maness
