REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 26, 2021
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Memorandum of Understanding with the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino for Drug Court Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2, effective April 1, 2022, to Memorandum of Understanding No. 20-486 with the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino for drug court services to non-violent Drug Court probationers and defendants, exercising the one-year option to extend, and increasing the total contract amount by $181,168, from $362,336 to $543,504, for the total contract period of April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2023.
(Presenter: Veronica Kelley, Director, 388-0801)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The increase of $181,168 for drug court services is 100% funded by 2011 Realignment. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2021-22 budget and will be included in the 2022-23 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder services to San Bernardino County residents who are experiencing major mental illness and/or substance use disorders. DBH Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Services provides a full range of substance use disorder treatment services and education for communities and residents through contracts with community-based organizations and County-operated clinics with the goal of promoting prevention, intervention, recovery and resiliency for individuals and families.
The recommended amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will continue the partnership between DBH and the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino (Superior Court) to collaborate in providing drug court services to non-violent Drug Court probationers and defendants. Under the terms of the MOU, the Superior Court provides a court liaison and the assignment of a judge to the Drug Court. Clients are not served directly by the cost of this MOU; they receive treatment services through various DBH contracts with contract providers.
Drug courts serve the community by addressing the underlying challenges faced by nonviolent substance use disorder offenders. The goal of the drug court program is to reduce substance misuse and recidivism, provide court-supervised treatment; integrate drug treatment with other rehabilitative services to promote long-term recovery, and reduce social costs. The State has supported the development of drug courts since 1998. DBH and the Superior Court have worked together successfully to provide drug court services since 1999. Both agencies are committed to the concept that substance use disorder services are preferable to incarceration of non-violent offenders.
The State Drug Court Realignment funding received by DBH for State programs is transferred to the Superior Court to support the costs of one Treatment Court Coordinator (TCC) position, one Court Account Clerk position and related court and treatment expenses. The TCC provides oversight of the Drug Court Program and is the liaison between the Drug Court and DBH. The Court Account Clerk supports drug court administrative activities including fiscal monitoring, data collection and reporting, and provides clerical support to the TCC and court clerical staff.
On June 23, 2020 (Item No. 34), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the MOU with the Superior Court to provide drug court services to non-violent Drug Court probationers and defendants, in the amount of $181,168, for the period of April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021, with a one-year extension option upon agreement by both parties.
On March 23, 2021 (Item No. 21), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the MOU, increasing the total contract amount by $181,168, from $181,168 to $362,336, and extending the contract period through March 31, 2022.
The recommended amendment to the MOU will allow DBH and the Superior Court to continue to collaborate in providing drug court services to non-violent Drug Court probationers and defendants through March 31, 2023. DBH will monitor contractor performance to ensure compliance standards are met.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on September 8, 2021; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 24, 2021; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on October 1, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 5, 2021.