State Prisons Grant

County just misses cut for women’s jail funding; status of re-rentry facility in Paso unknown

Eight counties statewide are picked; SLO County is ninth but may still be in the running if another drops out

By Leah Etling

San Luis Obispo County lost out on a $25.1 million grant that county officials had hoped to use for a new women’s jail.

The state Correctional Standards Authority on Thursday preliminarily doled out $650 million in grants to eight counties of similar or larger size. San Luis Obispo County was ninth on the list.

The announcement is a blow to the women’s jail project, which has been a focus of Sheriff Pat Hedges because the current jail is too small. County officials said the $30 million to $40 million project likely will be put on hold.

Also thrown into limbo is the status of a much discussed re-entry center, a new state prison concept for soon-to-be-paroled inmates that has been proposed on state property in Paso Robles. The county’s application for grant money was tied to finding a site here for a reentry facility.

“We’re certainly disappointed that we didn’t get in the first round,” Hedges said. “However, the agencies that were successful have 90 days to meet certain criteria, which may put us back in the running” should one of them become disqualified.

Counties selected for grants are San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Kern, Orange, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Monterey and Los Angeles.

Proposed jail

The county had hoped to use the money to construct a 198-bed women’s jail, which would add 155 beds to current County Jail capacity. The project would include a new medical and mental health programs center, according to an application.

The facility is proposed near the existing County Jail, on Highway 1 north of San Luis Obispo.

“We were hopeful we were going to get it and disappointed that we didn’t,” said county Principal Administrative Analyst Dan Buckshi.

Determinations on which counties received funding were based on a variety of factors, state spokesman Seth Unger said.

“Some (factors) are the amount of overcrowding in their jail, need for jail facilities, whether they have sited re-entry and whether they have taken steps to help parolees who return to their counties,” Unger said.

Final determinations on whether the eight selected counties will get their grant money will be made Sept. 18, Unger said.

County Supervisor Harry Ovitt expressed regret over not getting the award, but he remained optimistic.

“It’s good that we finished high; I think when the next allocation comes out, we will be sitting very well,” Ovitt said.

It’s unclear what other funding might be available.

Re-entry issue clouded

The grants are designed to address two goals: local jail construction to relieve pressure on overcrowded facilities, and an increased focus on rehabilitation of prisoners before parole in the re-entry centers.

Counties got preference points toward their grant applications when they agreed to host a re-entry center.

Re-entry prisons are where inmates within one year of their release date receive training, education and counseling to help them prepare to rejoin society.

The hope is to reduce the likelihood that offenders will return to prison. California has a recidivism rate of 70 percent.

It’s still possible that a re-entry facility will be considered in this county, corrections officials said in late April.

A key factor is the willingness of the community to host such a facility. County supervisors approved a resolution agreeing to do so as part of the grant application process.

The suggested location of the re-entry prison is on state property on Airport Road in Paso Robles. The re-entry buildings would be outside the fences of El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility, which is in the process of closing.

The state says it doesn’t know how much the re-entry center would cost to build, when it might be completed, or how many jobs it would create.

Paso Robles city officials had not taken an official position on the concept. City Manager Jim App said he was unaware of the state’s decision Thursday on the grant funding and couldn’t yet comment.