SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — There were tense moments late Wednesday night as 90 people stepped forward to share their thoughts on a proposal to expand the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Now, the Board of Supervisors are scheduled to vote Thursday on the multi-million dollar plan aiming to address overcrowding in the jail currently operating at 82% capacity.
The plan would also reduce the number of people in the jail by releasing low-risk offenders and increasing crisis response outside the jail.
The second goal focuses on improving conditions for the incarcerated and upgrading medical facilities considered inadequate.
The county said the high volume of inmates and limited staffing have made it difficult to provide mental health services. This proposal would include the construction of a medical clinic adjacent to the facility.
The Board of Supervisors heard 12 hours of passionate pleas Wednesday by members of the public, with many calling on the board to divert funding to resources outside the jail.
“By putting more money into the system, we're doing nothing to invest in prevention strategies to help folks never even have to encounter this harm in the first place,” one speaker said.
“We've been doing the same thing for years and years and years - and it's not changing anything,” another speaker said. “Our crime is getting higher. Well, what's going on? We have jails, we have more jails. We have more laws, but nothing's changing.”
“I still haven’t got housing, but now you want to build a jailhouse?” asked a member of the public.
The Board of Supervisors is currently discussing the matter at a meeting Thursday morning and a vote is expected to follow.
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