Monterey County Jail Housing Addition Grant ID # A‐19‐12 A day room filled with beds to accommodate inmates.
Photo courtesy Monterey County Weekly.
The Monterey County Jail has been significantly overcrowded for many years. The jail has a design bed capacity of 825 but currently houses a total of 1150 detainees. Such overcrowding puts officers, staff, inmates and the public at risk. After many years of effort, Monterey County has received a conditional award of state funds to expand jail housing to add more beds to accommodate the current jail population and provide rehabilitative services. Jail Expansion Funding On September 13, 2012 the Board of State and Community Corrections awarded Monterey County $36.3 million in state funds to address overcrowding at the jail. The County in turn has agreed to provide $4 million in matching funds to construct a 288‐bed expansion on the existing jail site. The jail is currently 40% over capacity.
Proposed Site Location The proposed location for the jail expansion is on the Northwest corner of the existing jail. The location is presently an open grass area and staff parking lot. Project Next Steps Monterey County must meet a series of conditions in order to secure these funds and begin construction. The first task will be an Environmental Impact Report, which will allow for public input of the project. Completion of the project is anticipated in October 2017. How the Jail Housing Addition Project will Improve Safety and Efficiency Current Conditions Insufficient beds for existing inmate population. Currently 618 beds are dormitory style while After Expansion Add 288 new beds, enough to relieve overcrowding. 141 double occupancy cells and 6 920 inmates are violent felons. Ineffective separation of potentially dangerous inmates, such as rival gang members. The existing design is indirect supervision, requiring more staff. Existing jail is 50 years old with expansions built 30 years ago. It is outdated and expensive. to operate and maintain. The labyrinth‐like manner of jail additions has created security and evacuation issues. No rehabilitative programs are provided due to overcrowding. Difficulty recruiting and retaining jail staff. Facility lacks unit control stations. single cells will be provided, for a total of 288 beds. Additional single and double cells are part of the expansion project. New housing units will be staff efficient using direct supervision & central control. New construction will be durable, secure and more efficient. Close attention will be paid to life cycle costs. New housing units will allow for direct supervision. Evacuation routes will be carefully planned. New space will allow for programs and education addressing substance abuse, family interaction and community support. New construction will improve the work environment and retention. Unit control stations will have direct visual supervision of all housing areas. Additional Project Facts • The project will create a new generation, direct visual supervision, adult detention facility expansion that meets all of the requirements of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). • Expansion will provide a safe and secure environment for staff, visitors, volunteers and inmates with a well‐defined, secure perimeter and secure spaces for contact, non‐contact and video visiting. • The new wing will consist of housing units with the flexibility to meet a wide variety of varying classification needs such as female housing and varying security levels. • The expansion project will be cost efficient to build and operate and an energy efficient and environmentally friendly structure to reduce operating costs. • The new structure will be staff efficient to make best use of personnel. • The new wing will provide adequate, easily supervised adult exercise and recreation spaces to reduce tension and contribute to the success of programs.