The present main jail facility, at 2775 Richardson Drive, Auburn, opened in July, 1985, at a construction cost of $4.5 million. Funding was provided by Proposition 4, the first of three jail funding measures. The California State Board of Corrections (BOC) rated the original structure for 108 inmates, a total that was exceeded immediately. Within two months of operation, the total reached 148. By 1990, the population had increased to 272 inminmates, far above the BOC allowable number of 108.

In 1990, a Federal court order restricting our daily population to 148 gave impetus to construction of a 260-bed addition to the jail, an addition that opened in April 1992. The new housing wing was constructed at a cost of $3.5 million, with funding provided through Propositions 52 and 96. It consists of three medium-security dorms, two with a capacity of 92 inmates each, and one with a capacity of 44 inmates; and one maximum-security module with a capacity of 32 inmates. The dormitory housing units are of the direct-supervision type, with a custody officer stationed inside each of the dorms, and indirect supervision from a housing booth. With BOC approval, most of our cells have been double-bunked, giving us a current capacity of 352.

The minimum-security area of the jail is housed in buildings that were originally World War II Army warehouses, built in 1941. The facility consists of three housing units, two male and one female, with a combined capacity of 160 inmates, making the total capacity of Auburn jail 512 (this total includes six beds located in the infirmary). Our population is still increasing; on March 9, 1998, we reached an all-time high of 487 inmates in the main jail and minimum security, for a 95 percent fill-rate. Our average daily population runs over 90 percent, and during most weeks, forced releasing is required.

In 1995, the facility was enhanced by the addition of a modern, "cook-chill" kitchen, at a cost of $3.8 million, with funding provided solely by the County. One of the best aspects of the cook-chill system is that any new correctional facilities built in Placer County will not need a kitchen, as the food is prepared here, shipped cold, and reheated. In this way, the kitchen can provide food for multiple remote facilities. Built to be expandable, the kitchen presently can provide up to 35,000 meals per week. It is operated by the Placer County Probation Department and serves Juvenile Hall as well as the jail.

In October 1995, the Corrections Division began to transition custody staff from Deputy Sheriffs to career Correctional Officers. We will retain sufficient sworn deputies to perform certain tasks such as transportation and court bailiff; however, we see the corrections staff handling most assignments in the Corrections Division.

In addition to incarceration, the County's Corrections System includes Community Corrections programs consisting of electronic home monitoring, work release, work furlough, Outside Journey, and drug court. The latter two are rehabilitative in nature and are designed to assist inmates in returning to a crime-free life in the community. These programs, also, are increasing in numbers; the highest Community Corrections total to date is 536, on March 12, 1998. Thus, through the County's aggressive use of Community Corrections programs, more than half the total violators are on these outside programs rather than in custody.

Our need for immediate specialized and maximum-security housing recently led us to apply for a Federal violent offender grant to "harden" some of our dormitory housing units. While this will not increase our over-all housing capacity, it will provide additional cells for maximum security inmates and those in temporary disciplinary isolation.

Placer County is currently one of the fastest growing counties in the State of California. By the year 2010, it is projected that seventy percent of Placer's population will reside in the southern portion of the county, which encompasses the cities of Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, and Loomis. Obviously, the need for corrections facilities in this area will continue to increase. It is our hope, in the not-far-distant future, to plan a South County Facility located in the Roseville- Lincoln-Rocklin area.

Further, we greatly need to replace our aging facility in Tahoe City. To this end, we are exploring a multi-county approach in the Truckee area. By so doing, we can consolidate staff and rectify the shortcomings of two old facilities. We also see this facility providing CDF or USFS with inmate crews for fire fighting and fire control in the Tahoe area.

Since modem day corrections philosophy embraces rehabilitation as well as incarceration, we are seeking funding sources for a residential treatment facility, a half-way house, if you will, where eligible inmates can receive substance abuse treatment, along with education and training in life skills and job skills. We perceive this type of rehabilitation program as the only viable method of permanently reducing the present recidivism rate among criminals in our county. Further, one of our top priorities is to increase rehabilitation program space, which is woefully inadequate. However, funding is a main issue, as no jail funding propositions have passed since Prop 86, in 1990.

Our goal in all these endeavors, along with the implementation of modern, proactive corrections methods, is to protect our communities from crime and violence, decrease recidivism rates, and preserve for Placer County residents the high quality of life for which their county has long been known.