Grand Jury

MARIN COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT SUMMARY 13 MARIN COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY 2014-2015 • AUGUST 2015 Report Issued June 25, 2015 Marin County has experienced a signifi cant decline in juvenile detention in recent years. Despite this decline, the cost of operating Marin County's 40-bed Juvenile Hall (JH) has not decreased and continues to be approximately $4,000,000 annually. Because the number of off enders has dwindled, the County's net cost per detainee per day has risen astronomically. To illustrate, the Average Daily Cost (ADC) to house and care for each detained JH youth rose during the past three years (2011-2014) from $464 to $901.64 because the Average Daily Population (ADP) declined from 18.9 to 9.2 detained youths. As a result, the Marin County Grand Jury recommends that Marin County and the Marin County Probation Department (MCPD) negotiate a contract for juvenile detention services with a neighboring county at a reduced cost and reallocate the savings towards expansion of Alternatives to Detention (ATDs), which are in the best interests of Marin youth. e Grand Jury also recommends that Marin County and MCPD consider other uses for this facility. e Grand Jury learned that Marin's decline in juvenile detention is consistent with a major nationwide paradigm shi away from incarceration. Research indicates that detention does not serve youth well, and community- based ATDs, particularly non- residential programming options, deliver equal or better results for a fraction of the cost. Further, the use of risk assessment tools has eliminated the need to confi ne the majority of Marin's juvenile off enders. Decriminalization of marijuana possession has also signifi cantly reduced arrests and detention. Detentions of juvenile off enders in Marin County's JH decreased from 1,674 in 1995 to 253 in 2014, and its Average Daily Population (ADP) declined 69% in the past decade, from 30 in 2005 to 9.2 in 2014. e median length of stay for youth in the JH is brief, just 8.4 days in 2014. With California's Title 15 1 mandated staffi ng requirements to assure safety, security, education, rehabilitation and healthcare in juvenile facilities, most JH operating costs are fi xed. MCPD informed the Grand Jury that JH is required to maintain a staff approximating 21 full-time, part-time and on-call personnel irrespective of a variable average daily census. us, as detentions decline, costs per detainee increase, while overall costs remain the same. Although California requires every county to have a juvenile hall, it permits two or more counties to operate a joint juvenile hall. MARIN COUNTY JUVENILE HALL: A Time for a Change 1 California's Title 15 regulations impose minimum standards for juvenile facilities to assure safety, security, education, rehabilitation and healthcare for detained youth. Above: Reprinted by permission of the Marin Indepen- dent Journal. Permission to reprint does not constitute an endorsement of the Marin Country Civil Grand Jury report by the Marin Independent Journal. Continued on page 14 Photographer: Stuart Lirette.

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