(from the CSU Chancellor's Office)

Study of the Contraband Interdiction Pilot Program at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison (SATF)

SCOPE OF WORK


Deadline: Aug. 24 (or earlier), requested feedback to CDCR from CSU
Budget: $150,000, including any indirect costs

Background:
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) received $9.1 million General Fund in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-19 and $8.3 million General Fund in FY 2019-20 to implement a two-year pilot Contraband Interdiction Program at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison (SAFT). The attached Budget Change Proposal document provides a detailed description of the components of the pilot Contraband Interdiction rogram. In summary, the pilot program will deploy contraband interdiction devices at the front entrance areas, employ a staffing complement to operate the devices, expand California SAFT’s canine teams, conduct enhanced vehicle and institution searches, and institute a Medication-Assisted Treatment program to respond to the opioid crisis. The pilot program shall require that entrance screening be conducted on every individual and package entering the prison and take place 24 hours per day, seven days per week. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Contraband Interdiction Pilot Program at the SATF be designed in such a way as to provide the Legislature with reliable information about how contraband enters prisons and what strategies are most cost effective in reducing inmate drug use. The CDCR shall provide this information through submission of a report to the Legislature by February 1, 2021.

Deliverables and Process Timeline Overview:
The CDCR seeks to contract for services in the amount of $150 thousand with the California State University (CSU) through an Interagency Agreement to conduct the study of the two-year pilot Contraband Interdiction Program at the (SAFT). Data collection must begin no later than November 5, 2018 and end no earlier than June 30, 2020. Quarterly progress reports to the CDCR Office of Research (OOR) are required and a fully completed final report must be submitted to the CDCR by December 31, 2020, that includes the following deliverables:

  •  An assessment of the relative cost-effectiveness in reducing inmate drug use of each contraband interdiction strategy used in the pilot program, including medication assisted treatment;
  •  data on and analysis of instances of contraband entering the prison, including, but not limited to,
    • how the contraband was brought or attempted to be brought into the prison
    • when the violation occurred
    • whether the person who is alleged to have committed the violation is an inmate, staff member, visitor, volunteer, contractor, or other
    • the type of contraband involved
    • how the violation was discovered
    • data on and analysis of arrests resulting from the violation, including, but not limited to, the number and type of arrests
    • data on and analysis of disciplinary actions taken against staff or inmates as a result of their participation in efforts to bring contraband into the prison;
  •  an assessment of whether the pilot program caused declines in or any other observable impact on visitation;
  •  an assessment of whether the pilot program caused changes in the prevalence of violence or lockdowns in the prison;
  •  data on and analysis of the use of the entrance screening technology and equipment throughout the time period of the pilot program, including, but not limited to,
    • if screening does not occur for any period of time on any given day, collecting data regarding the day of the week, date, and the length of time that screening does not occur, including starting and ending times
    • data on and analysis of the reasons why screening was not conducted during that timeframe, including, but not limited to, technology failures and staffing issues;
  • any other data that the department determines has probative value as to the efficacy of the pilot program.

Questions: Leslie Ponciano, director of research opportunities, Department of Research, CSU