PURPOSE
The CJC received the Safety and Justice Challenge Planning Grant through the MacArthur Foundation in 2015. The CJC was one of twenty (20) sites selected from 191 applicants across the country. The first year $150,000 grant was a data-driven exercise that studied ways to reduce the use of the local jail and racial disparities. At the end of the planning grant in early 2016, an application was submitted to the MacArthur Foundation to implement system changes and/or programming to address identifiable issues and become a Core Site. In March, the CJC was notified that it was chosen for another $150,000 award to continue the project in 2016 as a Partner Site. The Teams involved in the strategies listed below continued their work in 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, the CJC was invited by MacArthur to apply again for up to $2-million for two years as a Core Site. The application was submitted on June 1, 2017. On October 4, 2017, MacArthur informed us that we received the maximum amount of $2 million for two years. See details in the attached
press release.
The MacArthur Core Team has developed three core strategies and two supportive strategies that collectively target a jail reduction of 16.7% by April 2019. This represents a reduction of 369 people less each day in the Palm Beach County jail. The strategies are listed below.
BASELINE Average Daily Population (ADP) = 2,210
TARGET = 16.7% Reduction (369) = 1,841 by April 30, 2019
CORE STRATEGIES
1) Reduce pretrial jail population for low/some medium risk defendants (ADP reduction 3.0% or 66)
a) Risk Assessment Instrument and Risk Management Matrix
b) Second Look Procedure
c) Enhance Pretrial Services Program
2) Diversion and warrant reduction for low-level defendants (ADP Reduction 3.3% or 72)
a) Frequent Users Systems Engagement Project (FUSE) (ADP Reduction .55% or 12)
b) Court Date Notification System (ADP Reduction 2.7% or 60)
c) Driving Under Suspension (DUS) Court
d) Operation Fresh Start
e) Administrative dismissal of warrants
3) Case processing efficiencies for pretrial inmates (ADP Reduction 10.4% or 231)
a) Court Navigators for the State Attorney and Public Defender Offices to:
i) Identify and design release plans for low/some medium risk inmates in jail 3 days
ii) Access immediate resources for inmates waiting for behavioral health services in the community
b) Enlist the support of Justice Management Institute (JMI) to:
i) Reduce average length of stay for the largest pretrial inmate populations who remain in jail and are ultimately sentenced to state prison, time served, and probation; and
ii) Analyze our case processing and recommend other efficiencies to reduce jail ALOS
SUPPORTIVE STRATEGIES
1) Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities
a) Community Engagement Task Force (CETF)
b) Analyst Position to work with the Core Team and CETF to:
i) Identify drivers through data, observations, and interviews
ii) Develop recommendations
iii) Create specific goals and success measures
iv) Conduct periodic assessments
c) Implicit Bias training for all system actors
d) Create "Bench Cards" for judges to combat implicit bias
e) Expand "Ban the Box" and employment opportunities for reentry clients
f) Enlist support from W. Haywood Burns Institute
2) Data Capacity, Analysis and Evaluation
a) Data Dashboard
b) Data Use Agreement (CJC and ISLG)
c) Jail data
d) Court data
e) Arrest and non-arrest police field contact data
SUMMARY
Palm Beach County has made a significant investment in jail population control by reducing system inefficiencies and targeting support for populations with disproportionate jail use. This investment has resulted in an incarceration rate 58% below the national average, but there is still more room for reducing the Palm Beach County jail. Notable initiatives include, the establishment of a Pretrial Services Agency, Drug Court, and reentry programs. In its 30-year history, the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) has facilitated reform efforts for all facets of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, courts, and corrections. CJC members understand that an overused jail is a symptom of an inefficient and ineffective system. It consumes 14 cents of every county tax dollar; an immense amount of funds that are needed in other areas. In addition, studies prove that pretrial detention causes disruption in the stability of families and communities. It leads to higher re-arrest rates and produces worse case outcomes with more back-end incarceration.
To build on past efforts, Palm Beach County was awarded $2 million from the Safety and Justice Challenge in 2017 to implement strategies to reduce the jail population by 17% over the next two years, saving county tax dollars and improving outcomes for those involved in the criminal justice system. The CJC developed a comprehensive plan for local justice system reform including five key strategies to achieve this goal and create a safer, more effective system, including:
- Safely reducing our pretrial jail population through the use of a validated risk assessment instrument and enhanced pretrial services;
- Improving case processing efficiency;
- Ending the cycle of incarceration and homelessness for frequent low-level offenders with mental health issues;
- Identifying and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in our jail population; and
- Building data capacity to allow us to continuously analyze and improve our system.
Over the next two years the county will employ: an increased focus on risk assessment and smart release options for pretrial inmates; improved case processing efficiencies for pretrial inmates who are not released; quicker access for those inmates awaiting a treatment bed in the community; measures to prevent new, and rid dockets of old, warrants; a targeted project to address frequent users of the jail, homeless and behavioral health systems; and measures to reduce racial and ethnic disparities, including implicit bias training for all criminal justice agencies.
Lead Agency
Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission
Partners
Public Defender, State Attorney, Sheriff, Judiciary, Clerk of Court, Florida Department of Corrections, U.S. Attorney, School Board, West Palm Beach Police Department, Jupiter Police Department, Clergy, Palm Healthcare Foundation Six Healthier Together Communities, The Lord's Place, and Community Partners
Population Size
1,320,134
Jail Capacity
3,116
Problem
- Despite having an incarceration rate 58% below the national average, there is still more room for reducing the Palm Beach County jail population.
- Palm Beach County's jail cost taxpayers 14 cents of every county tax dollar.
- African Americans are significantly overrepresented in the county jail, making up 19% of the county population but 50% of the jail population.
- African Americans (44 days) and Hispanics (40 days) have a much longer average length of stay as compared to whites (25 days).
- Some people frequent our systems with no clear path for ending their cycle. From July 2016 through June 2017, Palm Beach County had 108 individuals admitted to the jail three times or more who also accessed homeless services within the County. These individuals used 5,648 bed days in the county jail costing $762,480 (bed days x $135 per day).
- In 2016, 3,528 people were admitted to the Palm Beach County jail for a Failure To Appear representing 14% of all jail admissions. In all but two of those admissions, the underlying charges were non-violent felonies or low-level charges.
Solutions
- Create a text message-based court data notification system to reduce failures to appear and prevent warrants causing low-level defendants from spending time in jail.
- Initiate a Frequent Users Systems Engagement (FUSE) project to break the cycle of incarceration and homelessness for frequent low-level defendants with behavioral health challenges.
- Employ a validated Risk Assessment Instrument along with smart pretrial release options to eliminate unnecessary incarceration and reduce the average length of stay in jail.
- Assess our case processing timeframes and employ strategies for improved efficiencies to reduce the average length of stay in jail.
- Create Bench Cards for the judiciary to combat implicit bias.
- Establish a dedicated position to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities.
- Engage the community in system learning and opportunities for input to key stakeholders.
- Build greater data capacity to analyze and understand the system and address issues.
Outcome
Supported with $2 million from the Safety and Justice Challenge, Palm Beach County will implement forward-looking, smart solutions to further reduce the local jail population by 17% over the next two years.
http://www.safetyandjusticechallenge.org/challenge-site/palm-beach-county/
MacArthur Safety & Justice Challenge Lightning Round Video, featuring Chief Judge Jeffrey Colbath
Palm Beach Post Editorial: $2M grant offers hope of reforming county's overuse of jail