Recommendation to Audit Alameda County Sheriff’s Department
Objectives
We request that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors task an independent auditor to
conduct a comprehensive performance and fiscal audit of the Sheriff’s jail operations budget and
management, as well as the Sheriff’s use of state and federal grants. The audit of the Sheriff
Department’s budget shall assess areas of over-spending, comparing adopted budgets with actual
expenditures. Additionally, the audit should cover policies and practices that drive the use of
county jail bed days, corrections facility use, and the staffing of deputies across correctional
facilities. The independent auditor shall provide the Board with recommendations on best
practices, ensuring the jail system is structured to best meet the needs of those under its care.
Guiding Questions
Is the steady increase in the Sheriff Department’s budget warranted, given the decrease in the jail
population?
● What is the cost of operating the Alameda County jail system? Are jail-related budgets
and staffing practices managed cost-effectively and efficiently?
● How do changes in the jail population affect jail system costs?
● How do the sheriff’s department’s contracts, state and federal grants, and MOUs impact
the sheriff’s budget and jail use?
● How are those who require special needs housed and/or classified?
● What policy, programmatic, and operational changes can be recommended – based on the
information generated by this audit – that can reduce costs while maintaining security and
other legitimate Sheriff’s Dept. objectives?

Scope of Work
The independent auditor will collaborate with the Department of Auditor-Controller (A-C), the
Sheriff Department, the County Administrator’s Office (CAO) and the Board of Supervisors, to
provide an analysis and assessment of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. The
independent auditor shall also provide a set of recommendations to the Board in a timely and
thorough fashion. The independent auditor shall perform the following:
1. Evaluate Corrections Expenditures, Staffing, and Efficiency
a. Comparison of County Expenditures FY 2009/10 to Present - A detailed
assessment from Fiscal Year 2009/10 to the present of Alameda County
expenditures (including but not limited to full time employees, professional
services contracts, food and supplies, the Inmate Welfare Fund, capital
improvements, small capital and maintenance) that are required to operate the
Alameda County Jail System, specifically in comparison to other counties with
similar size and demographic profiles.
b. Corrections Staff to Inmate Ratio - A detailed quarterly accounting and ratio of
full time correctional employees to jail population from 2009-present.
i.
Benchmark Alameda County data to other counties with similar size and
criminal justice system profiles.

 c. Use of Overtime and Other Pay - A detailed annual assessment from 2009present of the categories of use of overtime and other pay, include an audit of
policies and procedures to determine usage of personnel.
i.
An analysis of processes and controls used to authorize overtime and
“other pay,” including who is involved, and an assessment as to whether
use overtime is proven to be efficient.
2. Conduct an Assessment of Jail Population Data
a. Demographics of Jail Population - A detailed monthly accounting of the jail
system from 2009 until present. What possible trends in jail population can be
linked to policies and practices of the Sheriff’s Department? The data shall
account for the following demographics for Glenn Dyer Detention Facility and
Santa Rita Jail:
i.
Monthly Average Daily Population - distinguish between county ADP &
contract ADP -- differentiating data from each contracted jurisdiction
ii.
Age
iii.
Race/Ethnicity
iv.
Sex - include numbers of individuals who identify as trans or gendernonconforming
v. Number of undocumented immigrants in-custody
vi.
Number of persons with diagnosed mental health needs, physical
disabilities, and/or substance use disorder
vii.
Un-sentenced and sentenced by offense type
b. Pre-Trial Population Data - A detailed monthly accounting of pre-trial jail
population numbers from 2009-present for a) persons with no bail; b) persons
assigned bail but were not able to pay; c) persons who have violated probation
conditions; d) other.
c. Conduct an Analysis of Housing Policies for Use of Isolation - Analyze
whether in-custody policies and practices are meeting the needs of at-risk
individuals/populations housed in administrative segregation, protective custody,
and/or solitary confinement.
i.
Include monthly records from 2009-present of the numbers of individuals,
duration, and reason individuals were held in administrative segregation,
protective custody, and/or confinement.
ii.
Identify the policies and practices that drive the use of restrictive
environments.
iii.
Identify the research and best practices in staffing and appropriate policy
interventions for each population that supports a high-quality needs-based
continuum of physical health, trauma-informed mental health, and
substance abuse support.
3. Assess Long Term Options for Correction Facilities, including but not limited to
consolidation and potential closure.
a. Assess the Impact of Prop 47 Reducing the Jail Population - A detailed
accounting and assessment of the numbers and classification of jail beds,
including the permanent reduction and reduced overall operating of

 approximately 400 Average Daily Population (ADP) in the first year of
implementation of Prop 47 (Nov 2014 to Oct 2015).
b. Assess Security Classifications - A detailed monthly analysis from 2009-present
of housing security classifications, including data that lists determining factors
(e.g. gang classification, offense type, etc.)
i.
Identify logistics and staffing needs for each classification
ii.
Identify the policies that determine an individual’s security classification
iii.
Identify research and best practices of correctional security classifications
c. Conduct a Feasibility Study of Closing Housing Units at Santa Rita Jail
and/or Glenn Dyer Detention Center- Considering the declining jail population,
are current housing practices most efficient and fiscally responsible?
i.
This study shall include an assessment of jail unit facilities that could
close stemming from population reductions as a result from criminal
justice reforms such as Proposition 47 and Bail Reform, and an evaluation
of the feasibility of such closures. This analysis should consider any
impacts on programming and service levels in the remaining units in
operation, access of people in jail to family visits and attorney visits, and
financial or staff requirements to maintain or improve current levels of
such safety and health care.
ii.
Determine what decrease in the jail population would be necessary to
close jail units
iii.
Determine the cost-savings of potential unit closures.
4. Evaluate Sheriff Department Revenue & Contract Methodologies
a. AB109 Allocations for the Sheriff’s Department - A review of the Sheriff’s
Department’s share of AB109 (2011) Public Safety Realignment allocations since
2011 to present, including detailed annual expenditures.
b. Federal & State Revenues of the Sheriff’s Department - An accounting of all
federal and state grants received by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department
since 2009; detailing for each grant and revenue source(s):
i.
Determine the amount of funds received that are flexible or otherwise
discretionary over that time period
ii.
Determine the programs supported by each fund(s)
iii.
Determine other resources in addition to the grant funds that were
expended to carry out the supported programs (including but not limited to
FTE personnel, professional services contracts, and county funds)
iv.
Assess the management of Federal and State revenues, and compliance
with statutory funding requirements
v. Determine the number of staff or contracted personnel dedicated to carry
out the grant
vi.
Determine whether and how grant funds were used to enhance county jail
facilities, services, or population size
vii.
Determine the planning in place for consequences to budget and services
of the completion or non-renewal of the grant
viii.
Compare the management and use of Federal and State funds with those
allocated to other relevant, model jurisdictions

 c. Contracting Practices & MOUs - An accounting and analysis of practices for
contracting food, medical care, mental health services, communications, and other
services, including a list of contractors and MOUs with other jurisdictions.
Additionally, for each contract or MOU, there shall be a study of:
i.
the amount expended
ii.
the duration
iii.
the scope of the contract or MOU
iv.
the efficiency and accountability of such arrangements (including contract
enforcement mechanisms).

Final Analysis and Recommendations
Provide a finalized written analysis of this research that includes budget and policy
recommendations to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and the Board of Supervisors
where duplication of effort or other opportunities for improved efficiencies or options to
maximize the County’s return on investment can be identified. Based on the information
generated by this audit, the recommendations shall identify policy, programmatic, and
operational changes that can reduce costs while maintaining security and other legitimate
Sheriff’s Dept. objectives.