recommendations regarding the greene county...

Recommendations Regarding the

Greene County Jail

The oldest part of the Greene County jail was built in 1905 and is the second oldest in the state

Does NOT meet current standards for correctional facilities and the County has been dealing with structural and operational challenges for many years

Various committees and task forces have been

convened to study the issue intermittently since 2004 State Commission of Corrections (SCOC) has, over

time, identified structural and administrative deficits that the County is mandated to address • Operating under variances for policy violations • Beds have been decertified so boarding out inmates to

Columbia County

Build a new COUNTY JAIL adjacent to Greene and Coxsackie STATE PRISONS on Route 9W in Coxsackie

67,000 square foot JAIL with a 126 bed capacity and

potential 148 bed capacity through double-bunking

Additional 17,000 square foot Sheriff’s Office

$52 million capital cost to be paid through 30 year municipal bond (approximately $81 million total debt service)

Public and Legislative reaction led to a decision to reevaluate

Established by the Legislature in April Met every two weeks for four months

Chair – Lori Torgersen, PhD

• Legislator

• Retired Judge, District Attorney, Director of Probation,

Public Defender, Defense Attorney

• Director of Mental Heath, Director of Substance Abuse

Treatment

• ATI Program Specialist

• Public Representative

1) How big should the jail be?

2) How can we most cost-effectively house

the inmate population?

3) How can we sustain a reduced jail

population in the future?

Ricci Greene analysis of 2015 data was the

basis for the preliminary proposal

ATI Committee expanded data analysis

• Updated historical data and revisited trends

• Obtained and examined Jail Management System

Data – every “booking” from 2004-2016

Utilized committee experience to evaluate

trends and project current and future needs

5/10/2004 through 12/31/2016

• 9,178 bookings

• 5,229 individual people

Min age – 16, Max age – 90, Mean age - 40

Females

20%

White

77%

Black

16%

Other 7%

Males

80%

1702 of 5229 individuals (33%) booked into

jail between 2004-2016 came back to jail at

least one time

• Max number of bookings for one person -18

62% of the bookings by this 33% of the

people

• Small # of people driving up the cost

• “Frequent flyers” - need to break the cycle

25756

40861

48195

47019

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

19

20

19

30

19

40

19

50

19

60

19

70

19

80

19

90

20

00

20

10

20

15

20

16

20

17

Source: US Census Bureau 1920-2016 and DCJS/FBI Data estimate for 2017

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

6000

Source: US Census Bureau

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Property crime

Violent crime

Source: NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Misdemeanor arrests

Felony arrests

Source: NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services

730

914

651

536

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Source: Greene County Jail

62 68

78 79

71

85

72 76

60

42

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

through

9/25


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

through

9/25

Ricci Greene Report Actual/Current Jail Data

Source: Greene County Jail and Ricci Greene Report

49 52

62 60

55

61

56

52

45

13 14 16

20

16

24

16

24

15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Males

Females


31

26

33

29

34 32

35 35

44

39

45

42

29

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

through

9/26

2017 ADP (as of 9/25) is 42 • Again, includes boarded population

• Again, no concurrent increase in crime

Why the decline? • Informal use of ATI

Conscious effort by CJ system to only incarcerate

those who need to be

• Formal use of ATI

Drug Court

ORIGINAL PROPOSAL

• Opening capacity of 126 (expandable to 148)

Two male pods - each 38 beds (expandable to 46)

One female pod - 32 beds (expandable to 38)

Pre-classification/Special Risk section - 18 beds

ATI RECOMMENDATION

• Opening capacity of 66 (78 with double bunking)

One male pod - 38 beds (expandable to 46)

One female pod - 16 beds (expandable to 20)

Pre-classification/Special Risk section - 12 beds

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

ATI proposal

Original proposal


Max capacity is 86% above 2017 ADP

All indicators are down or flat

Answer is NOT to move the line up, but to

drive the curve down

• Invest in less expensive ATI alternatives

• Can board out on rare occasions to

accommodate spikes

What impact does the reduced capacity

have on overall space requirements?

• Inmate housing computed by cell floor space.

Single - 80 sqft

Double-bunk – 100 sqft

• Common spaces

If population reduced by 50%, common spaces by 20%

What’s the most fiscally responsible way

to meet these capacity needs?

Three options

• 1) Coxsackie

• 2) Catskill

• 3) Greene/Columbia

Locate at Coxsackie site

• Reduce opening beds from 126 to 66

• Reduce max from 148 to 78 inmates

Approximately 21,000 sqft reduction

• Save 22.5% of total building construction budget

• Save $11.6 million of $51.7 million budget

Advantages Room for future expansion

Disadvantages Cost of transportation to court

Accessibility to home/family and treatment providers

Catskill is primary source of inmates

Build new on current 19k sqft jail site

Same floor space as in Coxsackie

3 story jail @ ~16k sqft/floor

Basement parking

Rooftop exercise yard

Advantages • $5.6 million cost savings (Infrastructure)

• No transportation costs to County Court

• Accessible to home/family and treatment

providers

• Multi-story is usually lower construction cost per

sqft

• Options

4th floor - new Sheriff’s office

Adjacent lots on Broad St.

Disadvantages • Limited room for future expansion

• Need to board out inmates during construction

• Transportation costs for 1.5 years

• Multiple floors – more CO escorts?

• Entryway for vehicles

Do not build a new jail

• Share services with Columbia County and

house inmates at jointly operated jail

Negotiated long-term rate (MOU/contract)

Integration of Greene and Columbia CO’s

Invest in ATI solutions in Greene

County Possible profit center

$5.16 million

Personal Service

$2,417,830

Employee Benefits

$1,331,401

Equip/Vehicles $49,500

Boarding Prisoners $875,000

Contractual Expenses $484,836

At an ADP

of 42 that’s

$337 per

person per

day

$8.01 million

Personal Service

$2,881,193

Employee Benefits

$1,527,412 Equipment/

Vehicles $55,000

Contractual Expenses $946,400

Debt Service $2,600,000

Advantages • Save construction capital costs $500,000 to raze existing jail

• Lower annual budget costs

• Potential NYS cost-sharing funds

• Available sooner than a new facility

Disadvantages

• Cost of transportation to Greene County court

• Less accessible to home/family

• CO’s transfer to Columbia County

• Less “control” over costs (i.e. medical ~170k)

1) Coxsackie – Capital Cost ($40.1million)

2) Catskill – Capital Cost ($34.5 million)

3) Greene/Columbia – Capital Cost ($500,000)

WHATEVER choice you make…

• Run it like a business

• Track data, focus on opportunities

• Make use of low-cost ATI alternatives

• Use boarding to accommodate peak loads

Most people do not reoffend:

only ~1/3 of detained population are

“frequent flyers” – repeat jail bookings

Many struggle with treatable issues:

Drugs/Alcohol drive crime: 23% of new

crime bookings; up to at least 50% with

drug-related probation violations

People addicted to…

…more likely to be

addicted to heroin

Crosses class, gender,

and age. White males

age 18-25 are

particularly high-risk

Greene Co. has

3rd highest OD

rate in NYS

Most common response: incarceration

without treatment • Often worsens social isolation, trauma, economic

poverty that drives addiction and crime

• Average total cost per booking = $13,143

Impact of ATI: Greene County Drug Court • Avoid incarceration costs ($337/day/person)

• High program success rates (77%)

• Participants are able to break addiction cycle

1. Create alternative law enforcement responses to low-level crimes/people in crisis

2. Prioritize community-based supervision for lower-risk pre-trial population

3. Use strong defender advocacy and case management to connect people in jail to needed treatment in a timely manner

4. Strengthen treatment & services that reduce recidivism and support addiction recovery

5. Build system-level accountability for results

Recommendation 1A:

Fully implement the Crisis Intervention Training

(CIT) working group recommendations

Recommendation 1B:

Invest in a detox/crisis stabilization center for

alternative placements

Reduced rates of injuries for officers

• The San Jose (Calif.) CIT program reported a

32% decrease in officer injuries

Greater access to care for mentally ill

• The Memphis (Tenn.) CIT program reported a

42% increase in referrals by law enforcement

officers to psychiatric emergency services

Recommendation 1A: Fully implement the CIT working group recommendations Recommendation 1B: Invest in a detox/crisis stabilization center for alternative placements Recommendation 1C: Explore collaborating with Albany County to implement the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program

Rearrest rates (6 months after program completion)

• LEAD: 58% Control Group: 80%

System Utilization • 1.4 fewer jail bookings

• 39 fewer days in jail

• 87 percent lower odds of at least one prison

incarceration subsequent to evaluation entry.

Resulting Cost Savings: $8,061 per person

Recommendation 2A:

Re-establish pre-trial release program that

expands conditional release options for judges

Agreement between Court and accused

Allows conditional release in pre-trial phase

with supervision by probation department

Risk assessments can determine eligibility;

Violation(s) of terms may lead to detention

Recommendation 3A:

Establish a Case Management System that

facilitates timely case resolution

Case Manager position

Individual evaluations of needs

Cross-system database for information

sharing purposes

Recommendation 3B:

Expand defender-based advocacy and case

management services through contract with

Center for Community Alternatives (CCA)

Cost to county subsidized by NYS DCJS

Recommendation 4A:

Invest in a transitional/alternative housing

model for high-need people

Small, scatter-site model that integrates

supervision with treatment

Increase community safety

• No midnight drop-offs from jail to the street

• Last 3 reported deaths by MCAT were people

released from hospital to “homeless” status

Recommendation 4B:

Provide robust mental health and substance

abuse treatment in jail and post-release with

holistic support

Vivitrol program in jail underway

Supported by $1.1M SAMHSA grant

Recommendation 4C:

Increase treatment retention by investing in

peer support navigators and providing

support to families of justice-involved people

Recommendation 5A: Legislative commitment to developing ATI’s as a long-term cost saving measure that will improve the health and safety of Greene County residents Recommendation 5B: Establish a coordinating committee to support the implementation process and track progress/make updates as needed Recommendation 5C: Work with state officials to identify policy and funding opportunities to support our efforts

1. Explore private/state/federal funding (available throughout the country)

2. Implement with existing probation resources

3. Hire case management position; CCA contract funded by DCJS; invest in alternative housing

4. Leverage SAMHSA grant; Hire peer & family support navigators

5. Hire criminal justice coordinator position

TOTAL INITIAL INVESTMENT: $330,000

CURRENT ANNUAL JAIL EXPENDITURES: $5,160,000

The Greene County Jail population has

fallen dramatically

No data predict a rise in that population

A jail with a maximum capacity of 78

inmates should meet our needs

There are three alternatives to

incarcerating a population that size

Reasonable estimates of capital costs

associated with each are (approximately):

1) Coxsackie – $40million

2) Catskill – $35 million

3) Greene/Columbia –$500,000

The best way to ensure that the jail is large

enough is by creating alternatives to

incarceration

• The criminal justice system has control

• Divert low-risk people at an operational cost far

less than incarceration ($337 per person/per day)

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