On January 13, 2017 the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) Executive Committee approved a FY 2017-18 AB 109 Public Safety Realignment Budget for recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. The Recommended Budget included $4,867,201 for "Community Programs." The recommendation included $150,000 for Civil Legal Services provided by Bay Area Legal Aid. The Board of Supervisors approved this recommendation on June 20, 2017 (C.49).  
  
In August 2014, the CAO’s office was notified by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) that the Budget Act of 2014 had allocated $8 million to the BSCC for the Community Recidivism Reduction Grant (CRRG), as described in Penal Code section 1233.10. Counties were eligible to receive funds if the Board of Supervisors, in collaboration with the CCP, agreed to develop a competitive grant program intended to fund community recidivism and crime reduction services. On September 16, 2014, the Board of Supervisors passed item C.51, confirming to the BSCC the County’s interest in receiving the funding, of which $250,000 was allocated to Contra Costa County. Following the September 2014 action, the Public Protection Committee discussed how the $250,000 grant should be allocated for purposes of issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to community based organizations. The Committee determined that $150,000 would be allocated to adult programs and $100,000 would be allocated to juvenile programs. In April 2015, the County Administrator's Office conducted an RFP process to make grant award recommendations for fiscal year 2015-16 funding.   
  
At the August 10, 2015 meeting, staff notified the Public Protection Committee of a new allocation from the State of $125,000 in CRRG funds to Contra Costa County and requested direction from the Committee on how to allocate the new funding. At the September 14, 2016 meeting, the Committee approved the awarding of grants to Bay Area Legal Aid and Contra Costa Crisis Center for the adult community, and Bay Area Community Resources and RYSE Center for the juvenile community, each in the amount of $31,250 and directed staff to forward the funding recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.   
  
Since the initial CRRG allocation of $31,250 to Bay Area Legal Aid, in FY 16-17, Bay Legal spent $15,149 of the allocation, making $16,101 available to FY 2017-18 services.  
  
Today's action approves and authorizes the County Administrator to execute a contract with Bay Area Legal Aid in an amount not to exceed $166,101 for the period July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. The contract is funded by a combination of the CRRG funds ($16,101) and AB 109 Public Safety Realignment ($150,000). The services to be provided include legal services for at least 110 priority participants which includes a post-release legal check-up for each participant to identify legal barriers that can be reduced or eliminated, education to each participant about their legal rights and options, identified barrier removal, and referrals to other AB 109 Community Programs providers.

Legal services may not be available to AB 109 participants