Cash For Fresno Jail

Several counties were recently vying for millions in state funding that will go towards expanding and improving county jails. Reportedly Fresno County will receive nearly $79.2 million, which will be used to add a new wing to its county jail.

Fresno is one of three large counties that was given a full award. The money will be used toward the new $88 million detention facility in Fresno that will be adjacent to the existing building. It will add an additional 300 beds and have a more updated layout to allow better inmate supervision, mental and medical health services, storage, laundry and video visitation.

State Funds Jail Projects to Relieve Overcrowding

There was a state pot of $500 million to be distributed to counties on a competitive basis. There were 36 counties requesting funds from that pot. State officials ranked each county based on select criteria. Fifteen projects will be either fully or partially funded by those monies.

As a requirement, each county must be able to offer a 10% match to the funding, and can include land value.

Tulare and Kings County Still Wait for Jails

Tulare and Kings Counties are forced to wait on appeals before they are approved to receive tens of millions in dollars for their own jail projects. Hearings in Sacramento on those appeals will take place on Tuesday.

Tulare County jail was awarded $40 million to go towards its $44.4 million jail project. This will build a new 388-bed men’s facility at Sequoia Field close to the existing 302-bed jail.

The new facility will include classrooms for education, vocational instruction and behavioral therapy.

The funding for this project is on hold because the Stanislaus jail, in competition for mid-size county funding against Tulare, has filed an appeal of the decision because it had more points but less of the “preference criteria.”

Among the small counties, Kings County was selected to receive $20 million for its jail project, which has an estimated cost of $21.05 million. This money will add 24 mental health beds as well as a culinary kitchen and vocational instruction.

Kings County funding is also on hold until a decision is reached on the appeal from Humboldt County, which had more points but fewer preference criteria than Kings.