Solano County grand jury cites prison's overtime costs

Following inspections of one of Vacaville's prisons, the Solano County grand jury reported Wednesday that more could be done to combat the issues of inmate cell phone use, high overtime costs and the lack of recreation equipment.

The report of California State Prison-Solano was based on two separate visits to the prison in September and November and was part of the grand jury's responsibility to inspect the condition and management of the county's prisons.

During the grand jury's visit to the medium-security prison in September, it was reportedly operating at 144 percent of its capacity, with a total of 5,200 Level II and higher-risk Level III inmates.

After inspections of the facility and interviews with the warden, assistant wardens, captains and department heads, the grand jury zeroed in on the three specific areas of concern.

Despite offering a variety of yard-time activities and self-help programs for inmates to assist in rehabilitation, prison staff said "there is a lack of recreational equipment for inmates' use" -- a factor they fear could lead to fights and riots when coupled with frequent lockdowns.

To help address the issue, the grand jury is recommending more effective distribution of community outreach resources and that the prison tries to coordinate with the community to get the needed equipment donated. Also of concern was the amount of overtime paid to prison staff.

During interviews, the grand jury learned CSP-Solano spends an estimated $40,000 on overtime weekly and around $2,200,000 per year, which could translate into 28 full-time positions.

As a result, the grand jury recommends CSP-Solano reduce the transportation requirement to a contract driver and one correctional officer, rather than two.

Read More: The Reporter  & view the full report, visit http://www.solano.courts.ca.gov/Grand