Programs and Projects

Jail Overcrowding

The Santa Cruz County Jail, like so many other jails and prisons in California,
suffers from overcrowding. The Main Jail’s rated inmate capacity is 311, but
during 2003 and 2004, the average daily population reached 400 and it was
obvious something had to be done. Because there was no money or plans to
build a new jail or add capacity to existing structures, the Sheriff convened a jail
overcrowding committee consisting of representatives from the Court, Probation Department,
Public Defender, and local community based organizations. The Sheriff also requested
and received technical assistance and consultation from the National Institute of Corrections.
By following those recommendations, revising some internal procedures, and working
cooperatively with the other criminal justice members, the population began to decline slowly,
averaging 347 during 2007. Many factors influence jail population and the Corrections Bureau
knows this will be an ongoing issue for the foreseeable future.   

Mentally Ill Offenders

There is a significant population of mentally ill offenders who are housed in the jail on charges
that vary from homicide to petty and nuisance crimes. The jail, however, is not a facility licensed
to provide the level of care and treatment this population requires. Meanwhile, community
resources are also scarce, the state mental health system is overwhelmed, and recent cuts to
the county mental health system only made matters worse. The danger of housing severely ill
offenders is that they pose increased risks of suicide or self harm, and increased safety risks
to our personnel based on their unpredictability and lack of ongoing comprehensive treatment.
Knowing this problem is not just going to go away, the Sheriff decided to consider what options
there were for managing this population safely and humanely.  The Sheriff requested and received
technical assistance and consultation from the National Institute of Corrections. We are currently
evaluating and implementing many of those recommendations including environmental and procedural
changes, piloting a program to have specially trained Correctional Officers assigned to the population,
and working closely with the Jail Medical and Mental Health staff to identify and mitigate problems
before they happen. Additionally, the Sheriff also applied for and received a state grant designed to work
cooperatively with Mental Health, Probation, and the Community Action Board in an effort to maintain
qualifying offenders in their own homes under close supervision and wrap-around services, including
work projects. Unfortunately, this program, known as the Mentally Ill Offenders Crime Reduction (MIOCR)
program is in jeopardy of losing funding in this years 2008/2009 state budget.