More Money Could Be Available For Calaveras County Jail

Sacramento, Ca — In Sacramento today, Calaveras County Sheriff Dennis Downum received the news he was hoping to hear in regards to the amount of state funding that will be available for smaller counties to cover the costs of constructing new jail facilities.

The Corrections Standards Authority voted to allow smaller counties to compete for as much as $30 million per project. This is the exact amount that Calaveras County plans on requesting.

A CSA steering committee previously proposed that $600 million of the total state funds available go to counties with populations of 700,000 plus. Only $50 million would have been set aside for the 31 California counties with fewer than 200,000 residents. This would have required Calaveras County to construct a scaled down facility.

Applications for funding must be submitted to the state by the first week of March.

Written by BJ Hansen