EL PASO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SERVICES Dr. Henry Sontheimer Department Director & Criminal Justice Planner

2 Department Structure  Community Corrections State funded; locally operated Provides alternative to state prison incarceration  Court Services (Pre-Trial) Operate PR Bond program CJC unit (screening & assessment) Court House unit (supervision)  Criminal Justice Planning Research and policy analysis Liaison to Justice Advisory Council

3 Community Corrections  Provides an alternate residential placement for convicted felons who would otherwise be housed in a State prison Residential phase averages 7-9 months Non-residential phase averages 12 months Offenders are required to hold jobs and pay rent to halfway house operators  EPC Community Corrections Board determines: Which offenders can safely be placed in the community Who can operate a local community corrections program The Board also oversees contracts with local providers and monitors programs for compliance with State and local standards

4 Community Corrections, cont’d.  Board and providers screen 8,000+ referrals/year About 40% of referrals are accepted About 55% of offenders successfully complete program Most common conviction offenses: drugs, theft, burglary, assault 707 offenders completed residential placement in FY  22% were females  Over $5 million in state funds received annually Funds used to contract with local providers for services Funds also support activities of CC Board and County oversight  In , community corrections offenders paid: $1,570,000 in rent (subsistence) to offset program costs $198,000 in restitution and court costs $263,000 in federal and state taxes

5 Court Services  Personal Recognizance bonds permit pre- trial release without posting cash 4 th JD Court and EPC Commissioners oversee PR Bond program operation PR Bond staff interview defendants, assess risk, make recommendation to court, and supervise defendants granted PR bonds Staff are sworn officers of the court  Have limited authority to grant bonds directly  Most bonds must be authorized by judge  Bonds may be revoked for non-compliance

6 Court Services, cont’d.  2005 PR Bond program statistics: Staff screened over 9,000 inmates About one third recommended for release 2,290 PR Bonds granted Failure to appear rate less than 3% Average daily supervision caseload = 457  Helps free up jail space  Minimizes negative impacts of incarceration Program partially supported by offender fees  $43,075 collected in 2005

7 Criminal Justice Planning  Position created in 2000 One of several recommendations resulting from National Institute of Corrections technical assistance team visits  Primary liaison to Justice Advisory Council Cross-jurisdictional body Charged with coordinating activities of local criminal justice agencies Membership includes local law enforcement, governments, judiciary, DA, Public Defender, treatment providers, citizens

8 Criminal Justice Planning, cont’d.  Planner responsibilities Research and policy analysis Improved use of empirical data in planning and decision making  Major projects Regional Integration Project  Connect agency data systems  Improve data sharing Jail Utilization Plan  Principles and guidelines for use of limited jail capacity