HomeMy WebLinkAbout20171028.tiffL
March 22, 2017
Sheriff Steve Reams
Weld County Sheriff's Department
1150 "O" Street
Greeley, CO 80631
Dear Sheriff Reams:
Senate
State of Colorado
Denver
RECEIVED
MAR 31 2017
WELD COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
According to federal Department of Justice records, in fiscal year 2015, the Weld County Jail received a grant of
$129,161 from the federal "State Criminal Alien Assistance Program" (SCAAP) as partial reimbursement for the
cost of incarcerating criminal aliens. Weld County jail ranked 2nd (behind Denver) among the 34 Colorado county
jails receiving a total of $1,334,793 in SCAAP grants in 2015. Those federal SCAAP grants to 34 Colorado county jails
are reported here- http://founderscode.com/state-criminal-alien-assistance-program-scaap/
According to the Colorado Department of Corrections, the annual SCAAP grant covers only a small portion of
actual, true incarceration costs. In 2008, CDOC reported to the state Attorney General that the SCAAP
reimbursement percentage for FY 2007 was only 8.3 percent of true costs. By 2015, that reimbursement rate for
CDOC had declined to only 1.7 percent of true costs. Further, the Colorado Department of Corrections reports that
in 2015, the per -annum cost of incarceration in CDOC facilities was $36,892 or $101.07 per day, and in 2016 those
costs were $37,958 and $104.00 respectively.
As part of our effort to identify Colorado's statewide annual and cumulative SCAAP reimbursement deficits, we
have three questions about the Weld County jail's true costs of incarceration for criminal aliens and the
reimbursement grants received by Weld County under the federal SCAAP program:
1. What was the Weld County Jail's actual per day cost of incarceration in both 2015 and 2016?
2. How many criminal aliens were represented in the SCAAP grant applications in 2015 and 2016?
3. Based on your determination of true costs of incarceration for each criminal alien, what percentage of those
true costs were reimbursed to Weld County by the SCAAP grant in the years 2015 and 2016?
Our preliminary estimate based on available open data is that in 2015, (a) the 34 county jails currently participating
in the SCAAP program collectively experienced a reimbursement deficit of over $75,000,000, and that (b) the Weld
County jail may have experienced a reimbursement deficit in the neighborhood of $7,400,000.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
nator Kevin Lundberg
Member, J2,Lotttudget Committee
Cc: County Commissioners
Comrnu ong
Senator Tim Neville
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
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2017-1028
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NWELo cO )WTN
STEVE REAMS
Senator Kevin Lundberg
Senator Tim Neville
200 E Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Dear Senators:
Thank you for your inquiry into the federal "State Criminal Alien Assistance Program"
(SCAAP). While Weld County does not have specific programs or personnel budgeted with
these grant dollars, the small amount we have been receiving over the past few years does help in
our mission of operating a safe and secure jail facility.
In response to your letter dated March 22, 2017, the Sheriff's Office would like to submit the
following information. We believe this information is an accurate reflection of our inmate
population and total cost per inmate.
2015 2016
1) Actual per day cost per inmate: $101.90
2) Number of criminal aliens on SCAAP application: 324
Number of days criminal aliens incarcerated: 21,758
SCAAP grant awarded: $129,161
True annual cost for criminal aliens: $2,217,140
3) Percentage of true cost covered by SCAAP: 5.8%
$104.60
348
19,449
$131,200
$2,034,365
6.4%
It should also be noted that our grant award has decreased every year from 2007 - 2015. In 2007,
Weld County was awarded $542,059 in SCAAP funding, which is a significantly higher
percentage of overall costs.
If there is anything else you would like to discuss, or any other information you require, please
contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Sheriff Steve Reams
970-400-2801
Southwest Substation
4209 WCR 24 1/2
Longmont, Colorado 80504
(720) 652-2415
Fax (720) 652-4217
Headquarters
1950 O Street
Greeley, Colorado 80631
(970)356-4015
Fax (970)304-6467
Toll Free (800)436-9276
www.weldsheriff.com
Southeast Substation
2950 9"h Street
Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621
(303) 857-2465
Fax (303) 637-2422
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