Instead of building more jail beds, some Contra Costa County officials and concerned citizens say they want to spend realignment funds to create a system that help offenders successfully return to their communities, reports the community-based news publication Richmond Confidential.
The county’s Community Corrections Partnership, which oversees the $19 million in prison realignment funds from the state, has agreed, announcing they would postpone a decision on jail expansion until they have researched alternatives to incarceration that could reduce jail overcrowding and high recidivism rates.
“This has been an extraordinary meeting, and I hope everyone realizes what a tribute to democracy this whole process has been,” California State Senator Loni Hancock said in a press release. “I am in awe of you guys, I’m in awe of this community and the testimony you’ve given.”

THE SHIFT

Because realignment shifts offenders from doing time in state prison to county jails, Contra Costa County officials are tasked with managing a growing number of long-term detainees in its jails.
Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston wanted to use the realignment funding to expand the West County Detention Facility with a 150-bed dormitory. He has now asked the CCP to reevaluate the proposal in March, after forming a subcommittee to investigate needed services, bail reform, and a one-stop center for services.
Police Chief Chris Magnus agreed, saying, “I’m not ready to vote for jail expansion at this meeting.”
 

Charges have been dismissed for a Los Angeles man who spent 19 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
“I had good days and bad days, I stayed hopeful and that’s all I could do,” John Edwards Smith, 37, said outside the downtown jail. “I’m not bitter at all, because that ain’t going to get me nowhere. I’ve got to move on.”
Smith was freed after a group called Innocence Matters gathered evidence that the man who testified against Smith lied under police pressure.
Smith’s lawyer, Deirdre O’Conner, said the sole witness was the shooting victim who had survived the incident that left one man dead. His testimony helped convict Smith.
Smith always maintained he was not in the area or involved in the shooting.
O’Conner, who heads the Torrance-based public interest firm Innocence Matters, reported in papers filed with the court that Smith’s accuser, Landu Mvuemba, said he falsely identified Smith as the shooter under police pressure.
San Quentin prisoners responded to the AP article referring to Smith’s case, which began by identifying Smith as a former gang member.
One said, “Gang member? What’s up with that? Why is ‘gang’ mentioned first?” Another said, “What do you expect? The prosecution always chooses their suspect first.”
Another proclaimed that gang members are prime targets for the authorities. Still another said that a prime suspect is always chosen first, and evidence is built around that suspect to confirm that suspect’s guilt. Another explained that prosecutors were like jaguars, and picked out the weak as prey.

San Francisco officials are boasting the city’s lowest jail population in 40 years, while 32 other counties are building more jail beds to accommodate Gov. Jerry Brown’s realignment plan.
“The sky is not falling,” said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, referring to realignment critics.
San Francisco has been touted as a model for rehabilitation programs, according to Wendy Still, the city’s Adult Probation Department chief. She said each prisoner is individually assessed to determine what services may best help in eliminating further criminal behavior.
“Probation officials now responsible for low-risk parolees are doing extensive prerelease planning,” reports Still.
The city is building a $1.3 million service center to match convicts with social services, the San Francisco Examiner reports. The newspaper reported the Department of Public Health, Sheriff’s Department, Public Defender’s Office, and District Attorney’s Offices have all implemented realignment plans.
Rather than the traditional approach to incarceration, San Francisco probation officials said every prisoner is individually assessed to determine what services will best help prevent further criminal behavior.
Former convicts are being connected to job training, housing, substance abuse and mental health services, and also basic necessities such as identification cards, officials report.