Grand Jury Criticizes Jail Costs, Operations

The Orange County Grand Jury blamed an inexperienced team of contractors and designers for contributing to $233,000 in cost overruns during the construction of the new City Jail.

In a wide-ranging report issued Wednesday, jurors also took issue with what they described as the jail’s “controversial” system of inmate management, and expressed concern over whether prisoners were getting enough to eat.

Although city officials said the jail meals meet state nutritional standards, the grand jury contended that the portions “appeared to be insufficient for an adult.” The report also found that federal prisoners detained at the facility were provided additional “snacks and beverages” that were not available to other inmates.

City officials expressed disappointment with the grand jury’s overall assessment of jail development and operations, describing the report as “a little misleading.”

“I think it’s hard to do an analysis when you are not part of the process,” said Francisco Gutierrez, executive assistant to City Manager David N. Ream.

The $2.9-million jail opened in December after an 18-month construction delay. It is designed as a temporary detention center until the city can build a planned $90-million facility, four times the size of the 78-bed jail.

The grand jury report comes after a glowing review of the first six months of jail operations issued June 1 by the Santa Ana Police Department.

“We have established and sustained a calm, peaceful, non-threatening environment which ensures safety and security for staff, inmates and visitors,” the police report stated. “The facility has been inspected by a federal judge and representatives of the U.S. Marshal’s Office. They found the facility well managed and had high praise for the overall operation.”

But the grand jury was particularly critical of the cost overruns and project delays. Jurors found that there was little justification to support costly design changes, while project managers were cited for being unfamiliar with state and local construction regulations.

Gutierrez said most of the additional costs were incurred after city officials decided to increase capacity from 48 beds to 78. The delays, he said, were due to poor weather and the relocation of utility lines.

“In the end, we not only got a fine facility, but we got a great deal,” he said.

As for the quantity of food provided for inmates, Gutierrez said the menus meet or exceed the state requirements.

Jail meals are prepared by the nearby Boardwalk Cafe, where manager Bryan Leighton said preparation has been supervised by a UC Irvine dietitian.

“I can tell that the roast beef we serve at the jail is the same as we serve in our restaurant,” Leighton said, referring to portion sizes.

The manager said typical jail dinners include either lasagna, chicken, beef stew or meatloaf. All dinners are served with rice, a vegetable and roll. As a beverage, inmates get a choice of milk or fruit juice.

“It sounds good to me,” Leighton said. “We just don’t put these menus together randomly. These are designed to meet the needs of an average person in the general population.”