Articles & News

August 14, 2008

California's CDCR finds re-entry prison site unsuitable

By Dawn Withers, The Salinas Californian

A site proposed for a 500-bed state prison re-entry facility in Salinas has been found unsuitable by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The parcel, which sits on the old Natividad hospital campus, is inadequate because of its size, elevation and a road running through it, said Wayne Tanda, executive director for the Monterey County Resource Management Agency.

"(CDCR) consultants and staff had indicated that the site presented to them a number of challenges," Tanda said.

State officials, he said, now prefer a nearby 8.9-acre site that is home to the county's Juvenile Hall, although no formal agreements have been made.

Seth Unger, a CDCR spokesman, said the state hasn't formally rejected any location because no sites have been formally submitted to the agency for consideration. But elevation, access and size are all things the department's consultants have looked at when viewing various parcels with the county, Unger said.

"All of those factors are things we would take into consideration but haven't and won't until there is a formal site that is proposed or multiple sites are proposed," he said.

Residents in nearby neighborhoods have complained about the locations because of their proximity to homes and schools.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors, along with the Salinas City Council, must approve a site for the state to build the 500-bed facility by Sept. 18, if the county is to remain eligible for $80 million in Assembly Bill 900 funding. Those dollars are slated to help expand the dilapidated county jail, which now holds 1,100 inmates but was built for 813.

Unger said the Corrections Standards Authority will review sites on Sept. 18 and vote on whether a particular site is viable.

If the proposal goes forward, Salinas would have the state's first of many anticipated prison re-entry facilities. About 350 facilities are expected to be built with AB 900 funding. Santa Barbara and San Diego counties have re-entry programs but not the facilities.

Manuel Real, the county's chief probation officer, said if the state decides to build a re-entry facility on the Juvenile Hall location, a new hall would need to be constructed first.

Real said the department plans to build a new hall on a parcel off East Laurel Drive also being considered by the CDCR for the re-entry facility.

"It's all connected," Real said.