In 2015, Sonoma County secured a $40 million state grant to add a behavioral health wing to house and treat the growing number of people with mental health issues within the county jail.
Almost 10 years later, the project still hasn’t gotten off the ground. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors considered how to move forward, if at all.
A series of disasters, including major wildfires and a pandemic, and soaring construction costs and other spending priorities have delayed action for years.
The $49 million project, financed primarily by grants, was originally expected to be operational by 2020, but the estimated construction cost now stands at $69.5 million, according to a September evaluation. There is.
Rising prices are further complicating regulators’ calculations of what many see as a crisis in mental health treatment both inside and outside of prisons.
“We need to have a long conversation about how we can prioritize spending and specifically meet mental health needs,” Superintendent Susan Golin said Tuesday. Our communities are desperate, and certainly our incarcerated people are desperate too. ”
The main adult detention facility has become the county’s largest de facto psychiatric facility, especially due to the closure of psychiatric hospitals and state laws that move more people from jail to jail. Approximately half of the prison population has a mental health diagnosis, and nearly one-third experience severe mental illness that causes impairment that interferes with major life activities.
A Sonoma County grand jury investigation in June found that the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office was inadequately caring for people in its custody, largely due to the high concentration of inmates with mental health issues. It turned out that he was in control.
Given the scale of the need, Superintendent Chris Coursey said, especially since the prison population is approximately 800 people, that means more than 250 people have serious mental health issues. He questioned the impact of the planned 72-bed facility, given that
“The impact is therapeutic,” Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram said. “You’re right. The planned 72 beds isn’t much… but it’s better than what we have now, and we have an obligation to provide care.”
The project was originally proposed as a 32,800-square-foot facility that would offer small group counseling, increased time out of solitary confinement, and more mental health programs. Beyond the estimated construction cost of $69.50 ($1,848 per square foot), the housing units will require ongoing annual labor costs of $11 million.
Sheriff Eddie Engram and Sonoma Public Infrastructure Director Johannes Heffertz spoke Tuesday about funding the project, returning state funds and improving existing services in hopes of bringing the issue back to the board. It presented several options, including transferring approximately $9 million in discretionary funds that had been secured.
Also discussed was applying unallocated funds from the Opioid Settlement Fund and Measure O, the Sonoma County sales tax for mental health, substance abuse and homeless services. However, the latter was considered insufficient and the former unlikely due to its limited use for drug abuse.
Several supervisors also said that project conditions, such as relocating the facility to a less expensive location or building a facility that could serve both inmates and people with mental health issues, were also discussed. We also asked about the possibility of changing the
“Is there an opportunity to step outside of this box that’s been given to us?” Supervisor Linda Hopkins asked.
County Governor Cristina Rivera said there is no time limit on the grant, but state representatives have shown little flexibility in changing the scope of the project. He noted that at least two other counties that received grants have returned them for one reason or another.
The potential impact of Proposition 36’s anti-crime measures and the additional burden it could place on prisons also overshadowed the conversation. Proposition 36, which will be decided by voters in the November election, stiffens penalties for some theft and drug crimes and partially repeals a 2014 law aimed at reducing mass incarceration. Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed a series of bills in August aimed at reducing retail theft and other property crimes, but Prop. 36 has broad support.
Engram noted that the ballot initiative could increase the prison population, which he said is already steadily increasing and currently has its highest daily population since the pandemic.
Ultimately, there was widespread recognition that state aid was “diminishing by the day,” as Coursey put it, but supervisors asked staff to contact the county’s legislative delegation in Sacramento. and instructed them to investigate whether there is any room for changes to the restrictions. of the project.
Regarding the timing, Superintendent Rabbit said, “I feel like we have to reconsider it right before the budget.”
Contact In Your Corner Columnist Marisa Endicott at 707-521-5470 or marisa.endicott@pressdemocrat.com. X (formerly Twitter) @InYourCornerTPD and Facebook @InYourCornerTPD.
