Travis County Commissioners Court
February 3, 2009, 2009
Item 6
6.Consider and take appropriate action on an invitation from the urban institute for Travis County to apply for technical assistance through a jail population reduction initiative.
mr.
jeffreys?
>> yes, sir.
>> I'm roger jeffreys, executive manager of justice in public safety.
and upcoming date to ask you all to consider and possibly approve an application to the urban institute.
where jail population reduction initiative.
-- it is a competitive process.
we have been invited along with 23 other jurisdictions across the country.
the urban institute will likely pick three to four to work with.
the idea is for them to provide technical assistance to develop and evaluate a strategic plan to reduce and manage the jail population.
and we think -- assistance in the -- we think you can assist us in the following way.
strengthen our current collaboration around the jail population.
we currently have a group that looks at it, but would like to make that a more robust group.
we think you could help us document current initiatives and sustainability and consider new initiatives that might help us further reduce the jail population.
one of the tasks that urban institute is going to have to is -- is to -- to survey and catalog initiatives across the country that they will introduce to the jurisdictions that they have selected to work with.
the stakeholders on page 10 of your application itself in your backup, there's a list of stakeholders.
all who have agreed to sign on and with the addition of the Austin police department, two additional district judges, two -- three additional county court at law judges and the -- and the criminal courts administrator, deborah hale.
you, too, Commissioner Eckhardt the stakeholder, thank you.
if we win, grant will -- will probably be likely be awarded in the springtime, March, April, time frame and it's a 12 months grant initially if they receive additional funding and we still want them around, again assuming that we win, they could possibly stay longer.
>> what would it cost us?
>> there's no cost to the county and we don't receive any money as well.
strictly technical assistance.
>> free advice from experts on how to further reduce our jail population.
>> yes, sir, that's what it is.
>> that's why I move approval.
>> second.
>> discussion?
>> I just wanted to add that it -- along with the advice there are going to be -- they are going to be utilizing our data.
and -- and crunching data for us.
and telling us how we can better utilize our data and better analyze it.
it's really exciting.
and it goes along with some of the opportunity mapping that we have been seeing of late and in the children's optimal health plan program and what not.
>> what have we seen as far as this particular type of application, the results of it.
in other words, have there been any measurements applied to -- to this particular technical expertise to reduce the jail population?
is there any illustration to show, hey, this really does work?
we -- we applaud this particular concept, technical input, expertise and this particular jail overcrowding situation and as a result the jail population reduced by so many.
is there any evidence of -- of where this was applied, something new all across the board?
without any -- without any track record?
>> as a direct result of the technical assistance, I think my understanding is the first time the urban institute has done this specific thing, what they are doing is -- is surveying jurisdictions across the country for initiatives that have had a measurable impact or measurable reduction on the jail population, it's part of the strategic strategic planning process they will be introducing those initiatives to our collaboration for consideration.
>> so just a fact gathering type of -- type of situation of where jail reduction has worked because certain things have been applied in different places?
>> yes, sir.
>> in the country?
>> yes, sir?
does that about sum it up?
>> yes, sir.
>> we will make sure that's clear so folks can understand exactly what's going on.
>> and additionally, according to the backup and the -- and the draft application which was very well written and I learned a lot from it, about a third of our jail population is -- is -- are frequent fliers.
they come back within a two year period on new charges.
at least from a snapshot taken in 2006.
so -- so this is going to be really useful to us to find out.
>> but I noticed that some of those issues that -- that cause them to be incarcerated are addictions.
how to treat addictions so there isn't the revolving door.
so I really would be interested in seeing some of that.
>> okay.
>> yeah, fully, according to this 2006 snapshot, I mean, 64% were drug related or alcohol related offenses for the frequent fliers.
>> all right.
>> yeah.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 2:36 PM