The County Board of Supervisors is taking a look at a measure that would allow for a $22 million expansion of the Tehama County Jail.

Supporters of the program say it would help centralize the county's detention operations and would include a day reporting center in addition to more beds.   In order to move forward the county will need to undergo a state grant process.  If the monies are approved they could be awarded up to $20 million.

The remaining expense would be paid for through using $865,000 in in-kind donations and $400,000 in acquisition costs in order to gain access to extra land.

Tehama County Jail representatives estimate that annual operating costs will top out at about $2 million per year.  The decision to move forward, according to the supervisors, came after a close review of a $99,500 needs assessment study.  That was paid for using state-granted realignment funds.

Expansion proponents reportedly say the construction is needed, especially in light of the fact that as of 2014, the jail is expected to be 64 beds short of what is needed to accommodate the expected inmate population.

The Tehama County Jail, as with others throughout the state,  has been dealing with vastly increased capacity levels since the 2011 prisoner realignment program went into effect.  Since that time low-level, non-serious, non-sexual offenders who would normally be sent to state prisons have been diverted to county jails to serve their time.

This has caused mass inmate overcrowding at the local level, which has left most California jails scrambling to find a solution.

Opponents of construction say there has to be a better way. Even if the expansion goes through, the county will still be 18 beds short by 2018.   They are recommending officials take a closer look at alternative sentencing, and would like to see more pretrial detainees be released on their own recognizance.

It is unclear when the state will determine whether the Tehama County Jail construction project will be eligible for grant funding.