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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Housing Female Inmates in the Municipal Jail AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 11/21/2016 Meeting Type: Work Session Staff Contact/Dept.: AIC Chief Lewis Staff Phone No: 726-3729 Estimated Time: 20 Minutes S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Strengthen Public Safety by Leveraging Partnerships and Resources ITEM TITLE: HOUSING FEMALE INMATES IN THE MUNICIPAL JAIL ACTION REQUESTED: Discussion on the plan to begin housing female inmates in the Springfield Municipal Jail and direction to proceed/not proceed. ISSUE STATEMENT: Shall the City of Springfield begin utilizing the Municipal Jail to house female inmates in addition to the current male population? ATTACHMENTS: 1 – Council Briefing Memorandum DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Springfield Municipal Jail, which opened in January of 2010, was designed and constructed to allow the housing of both male and female inmates. Since opening, the City of Springfield has chosen to continue housing female inmates at the Lane County Jail. The City houses five sentenced, male inmates from Lane County and in exchange the County houses five female inmates, some pre-sentence and some sentenced. The City has been interested in increasing the number of available female beds, however the County has not reciprocated due to their own operational considerations. Earlier this year, the City received notice that, effective June 30, 2017, the County would no longer house Springfield’s female inmates. In order to accommodate female inmates, the Municipal Jail will designate the F-Pod as the female pod in the jail, per the original design. The Jail will convert two of the double-occupancy cells into single cells to house female inmates that require solo housing. The overall impact of this change will be that overall male bed capacity will decrease from 100 beds to 86, and that female bed capacity will increase from 5 (from the exchange program) to 14. Current average daily population in the jail is around 65. The decrease in male bed capacity should not cause any significant negative issues, and the increased capacity for female inmates will improve the overall performance of the criminal justice system in Springfield. Accepting female inmates will likely increase the cost of medical services in the jail. That contract is currently in negotiation, and more details will be brought to the Council when they are available. There is also an existing need for a second padded cell, and that project will be moved up on the priority list as a result of accepting female inmates. M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield Date: 11/21/2016 To: Gino Grimaldi COUNCIL From: AIC Chief Lewis BRIEFING Subject: HOUSING FEMALE INMATES IN THE MUNICIPAL JAIL MEMORANDUM ISSUE: Shall the City of Springfield begin utilizing the Municipal Jail to house female inmates in addition to the current male population? COUNCIL GOALS/ MANDATE: Strengthen Public Safety by Leveraging Partnerships and Resources The Springfield Municipal Jail currently houses only male inmates. Female prisoners, whether pre or post-sentence, are housed at the Lane County Jail through an exchange program with the Sheriff’s Department, and that exchange program is limited to five inmates. Springfield has been requested an increase in the number of available female beds but the Sheriff’s Department has declined. In September of this year, the City received notice that the Sheriff’s Department is no longer interested in continuing the prisoner exchange program. Our current contract with them expires on February 28, 2017, and they have expressed a willingness to continue housing our female inmates through the end of this fiscal year. While staff would prefer to continue the existing exchange program, this change will significantly increase the City’s capacity to house female inmates and is expected to provide benefits to the overall criminal justice system operations similar to the impact of housing male inmates. By design, the Municipal Jail will designate the F-Pod as the female pod in the jail. By closing a door in the prisoner hallway, the F-Pod will have the sight and sound separation required by law in a mixed-gender jail facility. F-Pod currently has a 16 bed capacity – 8 double bunked cells. Two of those cells will be converted into single bed cells to house female inmates that require solo housing. F-Pod will then have the capacity to house up to 14 female inmates. Staff do not believe that the decrease in male beds will cause any significant operational issues. The male bed capacity will be reduced to 86 beds, but the average daily population, including beds rented to other jurisdictions, is 65. For both male and female beds, Springfield prisoners will continue to take priority over inmates from other jurisdictions. There is an existing need for a second padded cell in the Book In area, and that project will be moved up on the priority list as a result of accepting female inmates. Also, the policies and procedures manual that governs the operation of the jail will be reviewed and revised to provide specific policies on managing a female inmate population. For example, female inmates may need to be held in the holding cell area until a female staff member is Attachment 1, Page 1 of 2 MEMORANDUM 11/17/2016 Page 2 available to process that inmate into the housing unit. Protocols will be put in place to protect the privacy rights of female inmates, and to protect staff members from allegations of abuse by jail staff. The Jail is already in the final stages of completing the requirements to become PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) compliant. Finally, accepting female inmates will likely increase the cost of medical services in the jail. The medical contract, with Cascade Medical, is currently in negotiation, and more specifics on the potential medical cost increases will be provided to the Council when they become available. RECOMMENDED ACTION: This information is provided to facilitate a discussion and answer any questions the Council may have regarding the need to begin housing female inmates in the Springfield Municipal Jail.