To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Probation Department and Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Christine Williams, 565-2145, Connie Newton, 565-8884
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Public Safety Evaluation Services Contract Amendment
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Recommended Actions:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chief Probation Officer and the Sheriff to amend a Professional Services Agreement with Resource Development Associates to evaluate criminal justice programs funded by state and federal sources, which will increase the not-to-exceed amount from $500,000 by $750,000 to $1,250,000 through 6/30/2021. The resulting evaluations will provide data on program effectiveness in achieving objectives such as reducing recidivism, which in turn will guide policymakers in determining which programs to continue.
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Executive Summary:
Since the Board approved a $500,000 Professional Services Agreement with Resource Development Associates in 2016, several additional evaluation needs have arisen, relating mostly to competitive grants that Sonoma County has secured from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Probation Department seeks approval to expand the Agreement’s not-to-exceed amount to fund additional evaluations, which will fulfill grant requirements, as well as provide critical information to policymakers as they determine which criminal justice programs to fund and plan program improvements.
Discussion:
On July 19, 2016, following a competitive procurement process, the Board authorized Probation to enter a Professional Services Agreement with Resource Development Associates to evaluate criminal justice programs, focusing on:
1. How effective the programs are at achieving their outcomes;
2. How well the programs are implemented; and
3. How cost-effective the programs are.
Results of these evaluations inform program improvements and guide policymakers who must determine which programs to continue under prevailing fiscal constraints. Originally, Probation envisioned that Resource Development Associates would primarily evaluate programs associated with Public Safety Realignment. The current Agreement is effective through 6/30/2021, with a not-to-exceed amount from $500,000. Subsequently, additional programs beyond the scope of Public Safety Realignment have begun, which will require performance evaluation. These programs are as follows:
Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grants (2016 and 2018): These two U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance grants focus on increasing public safety and reducing recidivism among high-risk people with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder. Funding of $250,000 for 2016 and $750,000 for 2018 will cover training for enforcement and mental health personnel, contracted case management, an eight-bed transitional housing facility, and includes up to $104,000 for program evaluation.
Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness grant (2018): The intention of this U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance grant is to improve public safety and outcomes for offenders in jail or being discharged from jail who have co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder. Funding of $750,000 will cover contracted substance abuse and mental healthcare professionals inside and outside the jail, who will evaluate and treat offenders and ensure that they receive needed services in the community, and includes $110,000 for program evaluation.
For each of the new programs, Resource Development Associates will assist Sonoma County in developing data collection and implementation plans during the first year and perform evaluations of program effectiveness in following years. Per the original Professional Services Agreement, each year, scopes of work will be produced and approved in writing by the head of the department overseeing the evaluation.
To evaluate these programs, Probation recommends expanding the current Professional Services Agreement rather than initiating a new competitive procurement process because Resource Development Associates now has familiarity with Sonoma County’s public safety systems data. Additionally, in the new grants mentioned above, the Bureau of Justice Assistance has determined that Resource Development Associates is an award sub-recipient, as opposed to a vendor. A Sonoma County Purchasing Agent reviewed the proposed agreement and indicated no objections.
In addition to these recently implemented programs, the Community Corrections Partnership has prioritized program evaluation, which is expected to increase associated costs in the coming years. This policy decision is consistent with the Sonoma County Criminal Justice System Master Plan 2015 Update, which states:
There are virtually no systems in place to readily capture program performance and outcomes in a way that will allow for critical analysis. Few of the programs reviewed in this report are being evaluated to determine their impact on offender behavior and recidivism. As a result, policymakers have very limited means to assess whether in fact programs are working and affecting offender behavior as designed.
The lack of a basic understanding of program outputs further makes it impossible to perform any type of meaningful cost/benefit analysis on programs to determine whether the impact of a program is worth the investment of resources required. At a minimum, the County needs to be able to identify basic metrics of program activity and the effects of the activities. Activity data should be maintained on admissions, attendance, phase completions, program completions, and terminations for all programs. In addition, outcome data that tracks offender behavior in terms of violations of supervision, re-arrests, convictions, and other indicators of recidivism should be collected.
Finally, expanding evaluation services is consistent with the June 2016 request for proposals, which stated that the winning proposer “will work with Sonoma County to develop a scalable evaluation plan, which the Community Corrections Partnership will use to determine the type and scale of evaluation services to purchase.” Accordingly, the current contract with Resource Development Associates includes sufficient funding for the plan and initial evaluations, and contract expansion was anticipated as the Community Corrections Partnership reviewed preliminary work and determined next steps.
The evaluations performed under this Agreement will cover many of those envisioned in the Master plan and build upon the following reports that Resource Development Associates has completed:
• AB 109 Evaluation: Needs and Cost Analysis
• AB 109 Evaluation: Reconviction Analysis
• Sonoma County AB 109 Data Capacity Assessment
• Sonoma County AB 109 Implementation Evaluation Report
• Sonoma County AB 109 Day Reporting Center Process Evaluation
• Sonoma County AB 109 Day Reporting Center Outcome Evaluation
The reports produced under this Agreement will prove invaluable in the coming years as Probation and its criminal justice partners make important policy and program decisions affecting the safety and wellbeing of our community. Additionally, the recommended action is consistent with the “Contracting Principles for Human Services Programs” item that also appears on the March 19, 2019, agenda.
Prior Board Actions:
December 11, 2018: Approved acceptance of grants from the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Program.
July 19, 2016: Approved a contract with Resource Development Associates through June 30, 2021.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 18-19 Adopted |
FY19-20 Projected |
FY 20-21 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$166,690 |
$288,855 |
$298,855 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$162,290 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$328,980 |
$288,855 |
$298,855 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
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General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
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State/Federal |
$328,980 |
$288,855 |
$298,855 |
|
Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$328,980 |
$288,855 |
$298,855 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
$166,690 of capacity remains on the current Agreement. The additional FY 18-19 requested appropriations of $162,290 will be included in third-quarter consolidated budget adjustments.
Recommended expenditures of $750,000 will be borne by state and federal sources, as follows:
• Public Safety Realignment (as allocated by the Community Corrections Partnership): $508,074. This amount includes FY 18-19 expenditures of $108,074, expenditures of $200,000 approved by the Community Corrections Partnership in February 2019 for FY 19-20, and anticipated expenditures of $200,000 in FY 20-21.
• State Senate Bill 678: $90,255
• Federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grants (2016 and 2018): $63,071*
• Federal Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness grant (2018): $88,600*
*Additional expenditures for these grants up to $104,000 and $110,000 respectively, will be borne by the current contract and by an anticipated new contract in FY 21-22, following a competitive procurement process and Board approval.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A - I Step) |
Additions (number) |
Deletions (number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Amendment to Resource Development Associates Professional Services Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None