Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Carlos G. Bolanos, Sheriff
Subject: Annual Report on the Inmate Welfare Trust Fund
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Accept the report on the Inmate Welfare Trust Fund for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
body
BACKGROUND:
California Penal Code 4025 provides for the administration of an Inmate Welfare Fund (IWF) and requires that an itemized report of IWF activity be submitted annually to the Board of Supervisors. The IWF may only be used primarily for the benefit, education, and welfare of the inmates, and maintenance of correctional facilities. This includes the cost of operating programs to benefit the inmates, including, but not limited to, education, drug and alcohol treatment, welfare, library, accounting, and other programs deemed appropriate by the Sheriff.
California Penal Code 4025 also provides that the Sheriff may operate a commissary in the jails, and that profits shall be deposited into the IWF. Additionally, any refund, rebate, or commission received from a telephone company for inmates' use of telephones shall also be deposited into the IWF.
An independent financial audit of the Inmate Welfare Fund is completed annually.
DISCUSSION:
The Inmate Welfare Trust Fund Committee, formed by the Sheriff's Office, is responsible for safeguarding the funds, controlling expenditures, and approving the annual budget. In July 2018, the Sheriff's Office ceased collection of commissions from inmate telephone services. In September 2018, the Sheriff's Office entered into a contract with Keefe Commissary Network, LLC to provide commissary services for inmates in Maguire Correctional Facility and Maple Street Correctional Center. Additionally, as of June 27, 2020, the agreement with Keefe Commissary Network, LLC was amended to indicate that the Sheriff's Office would no longer be compensated with commission payments related to commis...
Click here for full text