Agenda

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C. 49

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Robin Lipetzky, Public Defender
Date:	December 20, 2016

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Contract Payable (The Justice Management Institute)

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 12/20/2016

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Richard Loomis, (925) 335-8093

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: December 20, 2016
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Public Defender, or designee, to execute a contract with The Justice Management Institute in an amount not to exceed $116,886 to design, implement and monitor the Misdemeanor Early Representation Program (MERP) for the period December 14, 2016 through October 1, 2018 in the Public Defender's Office.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Total cost of this contract is $116,886:


FY 2016-17 = $68,409

FISCAL IMPACT: (CONT'D)

FY 2017-18 = $48,477

Expenditures for this contract are fully grant reimbursed (2016-AJ-AX-0001/ BJA FY15 Smart Defense Initiative). There is no increase to Net County Cost.

BACKGROUND:

The Smart Defense Initiative grant from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance will fund the West County Misdemeanor Early Representation Program (MERP), which is designed to provide immediate representation for persons cited for misdemeanor offenses, so as to reduce incarceration and collateral consequences stemming from failures to appear (FTA's) for indigent clients in Richmond, California. The grant provides sufficient funding for additional staffing (1.5-FTE) for two (2) years, along with funding for a subgrantee partner (The Justice Management Institute) to assist with program design, implementation and tracking of multiple data points to evaluate program performance.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If approval is not authorized to execute this contractt the Pubic Defender will not have access to the resources needed design and implement a Misdemeanor Early Representation Program to reduce the high rate of failures to appear (FTA's) by indigent defendants at the Richmond Court.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

No impact.