State Funding For Tuolumne County Jail Unlikely

Tuolumne County Jail officials have said they believe state-funding for a new jail complex will not be granted. On Jan. 3 the county submitted an application to the state Department of Corrections (DOC) requesting the maximum grant funding of $33 million to be used toward construction cost of a new facility.  According to a document prepared by the County Board of Supervisors, the current Tuolumne County Jail  has an “effective capacity of 140 beds, and there is currently a need for 208 beds”.  By 2018, they said, that need would expand from 208 to 240.  In addition, they believe the current structure is inefficiently laid out, making it “staff-intensive” to operate safely.

“The choppy, linear design of the jail makes it difficult to cost-effectively staff,” they wrote.  “The level of difficulty they have in maintaining constant, direct supervision of inmates creates a safety issue for both jail staff and inmates.”

A Tuolumne Sheriff’s Department spokesperson has also indicated that Read more »