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Adopt a resolution approving participation in the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant Program; Approve an agreement with the Board of State and Community Corrections to receive $949,998 under the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant Program for the period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2018; Authorize the County Administrator to execute the agreement; Approve an Appropriations Transfer Request of $316,666 to recognize unanticipated grant revenue and related appropriations for the first year to support prevention, intervention, supervision and incarceration-based services and strategies to reduce recidivism and to improve outcomes for mentally ill juvenile and adult offenders in California (4/5 vote required); and Authorize the Sheriff and his designees to administer the grant to include signing all modifications, amendments and reimbursement forms which remain within budgeted appropriations
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Sheriff’s recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt a resolution approving participation in the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant Program;
2. Approve an agreement with the Board of State and Community Corrections to receive $949,998 under the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant Program for the period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2018;
3. Authorize the County Administrator to execute the agreement;
4. Approve an Appropriations Transfer Request of $316,666 to recognize unanticipated grant revenue and related appropriations for the first year to support prevention, intervention, supervision and incarceration-based services and strategies to reduce recidivism and to improve outcomes for mentally ill juvenile and adult offenders in California (4/5 vote required); and
5. Authorize the Sheriff and his designees to administer the grant to include signing all modifications, amendments and reimbursement forms which remain within budgeted appropriations.
SUMMARY:
In February 2015, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) released the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) Grant solicitation package. The Sheriff’s Office submitted the grant application by the April 3, 2015 deadline. The MIOCR Grant was solicited as a competitive grant. On June 10, 2015, the Sheriff’s Office received notice from the BSCC that Solano County had been awarded $949,998 in grant funds for the three year period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2018. BSCC recently completed the grant agreement and is now requesting Solano County sign the agreement and return to BSCC for processing. Additionally, the BSCC is requiring a resolution approving participation in the grant program by the grantee agency’s Board of Supervisors.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The MIOCR Grant required a minimum 25% match; however, due to the competitive solicitation, Solano County’s application reflected a 41% match. The MIOCR Grant budget includes $316,666 in MIOCR funds plus $214,254 in cash and in-kind match annually. The annual MIOCR funds will be used to fund community-based organizations (CBO) providing services ($270,866), 0.2 FTE of a Correctional Officer to assist with data collection ($20,800), and training and consultant costs ($25,000). The first year, the Sheriff’s Office will purchase two laptop computers reducing the CBO funding by $3,600. The match is offered by the Department of Health & Social Services ($200,000) funded by Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds to supplement funding to the CBOs; additional match by the Probation Department ($14,254) for program evaluation. Duties for existing staff for the Sheriff and the Probation Department have been repurposed in order to meet non-supplanting requirements. The program cost for FY2015/16 outside the match is $316,666 and will be entirely offset with grant funds. The FY2015/16 Final Budget does not include sufficient appropriation for the MIOCR program; therefore the Sheriff is requesting approval of an Appropriations Transfer Request to recognize the unanticipated grant revenue and related appropriations to deliver services and meet grant requirements.
Board action will not impact the County General Fund during the grant period; yet funded projects are required to be sustained by the grantee agency for one year beyond the three year grant term. The estimated cost for the fourth year is $316,666. The Sheriff, Probation, and Health & Social Services have committed resources for FY2018/19 to ensure sustainability. Health & Social Services along with Probation will continue to provide the same support used in the match. The Sheriff anticipates using available increased funding from Proposition 172 Sales Tax Revenue, Public Safety Realignment Revenue, or new funding to replace grant funds used for CBO services, data collection, and consultant services.
DISCUSSION:
The 2014-15 State Budget Act appropriated Recidivism Reduction Funds through Assembly Bill (AB) 1468, Article 4, California Penal Code Section (PC§) 6045 for the establishment of MIOCR grants. The purpose of this funding is to support appropriate prevention, intervention, supervision and services through promising and evidence-based strategies to reduce recidivism by managing California’s mentally ill offender population, as well as improving outcomes for these offenders.
Pursuant to PC §6045, grant funds must be used to implement locally-developed, collaborative and multidisciplinary projects that provide a cost-effective continuum of responses for juvenile and adult offenders with mental health issues. These responses are designed to: reduce jail population; provide youthful offenders with alternatives to detention; reduce crime and criminal justice costs related to the mentally ill; maximize available and/or new local resources; and ultimately improve public safety. Funding will be used to support on-going technical assistance, monitoring, data collection, and evaluation oversight for the local funding recipients.
MIOCR will provide resources for the development and implementation of expanded reentry services in Solano County. The need for reentry services has dramatically increased for Solano County’s mentally ill population with the implementation of California’s Public Safety Realignment Act. The County will use MICOR funding to develop expanded programs to assist participants transitioning from jail to community life. The population most in need of these services is primarily males between the ages 30-39, with histories of repeat incarcerations, high levels of homelessness and psychotic or related disorders. The Sheriff’s Office proposes using an established model that transitions individuals from jail to the community as a guide for the development of a more customized service model and transitional process for our mentally ill offender population. Additionally, the County will use established evidence based practices to guide re-entry and aftercare processes.
The Sheriff’s Office will use grant funds to create a county wide response to the issues of services, treatment and recidivism reduction for the justice involved mentally ill. The project design directly targets reducing the number of mentally ill offenders who are incarcerated by: diverting low level offenders prior to and shortly after booking; providing jail based mental health programming for offenders based on assessment; and providing comprehensive re-entry planning and intensive case management aftercare services prior to and after release. The Sheriff’s Office plans to annually screen and assess 750 cases for diversion and serve up to 124 individuals annually with re-entry and aftercare services.
Representatives from the Bay Area Community Services Agency and the SCSO, various police departments, Probation, Health and Social Services, Community Based Organizations and other county partners will collaborate via teams. These teams will oversee different segments of transition to ensure effective provision and seamless coordination of services. A diversion team will assess appropriateness of incarceration versus community based services for very low level offenders; and a re-entry/aftercare team will develop re-entry plans for each individual and will meet with community based providers and the supports of each participant in individual case conferences in order to ensure coordinated service delivery occurs in the community.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board of Supervisors could choose not to approve the grant agreement and resolution, however, this alternative is not recommended as funds will be redistributed to other applicants and Solano County will not benefit from State resources that support prevention, intervention, supervision and incarceration-based services and strategies for mentally ill juvenile and adult offenders.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The County Administrator’s Office has reviewed this report and resolution and concurs with the Sheriff’s recommendations. County Counsel has reviewed and approved the grant agreement as to form.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION