Shasta supervisors direct staff to pursue Amity reentry program on county campus

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9 directed county staff to prepare a request for proposals seeking partners to site and operate a male community reentry program on a county‑owned 90‑acre campus.

Doug Bond, president and chief executive officer of the Amity Foundation, told the board the program provides up to 32 months of services that begin before release from incarceration and continue in the community. Participants are subject to GPS ankle monitoring; the program, Bond said, emphasizes treatment, education, employment and housing as the public‑safety strategy.

Bond said the program’s operating cost is roughly $63,000 per participant per year compared with an estimated $128,000 per year cost tied to incarceration in the state system. He cited research showing substantial reductions in reconviction where programs are implemented well and said current Amity sites report high employment and housing outcomes for program completers.

Sheriff (name not provided) told the board the model could help free jail capacity by diverting qualified people into a residential treatment setting while preserving custody authority and public‑safety oversight. The sheriff said the plan under discussion would serve people who are returning to the region, not transfers from distant counties.

Supervisor Matt Plummer moved to direct the CEO’s office to work with the sheriff to prepare an RFP and pursue funding and related steps to move the project forward; the motion passed 4‑0. Board members asked staff to coordinate outreach to neighbors and to track the county’s surplus‑land designation timing so the RFP and related costs can be sequenced appropriately.

Public comment included supporters who said the model offers a proven path to long‑term public‑safety improvements and critics who expressed safety concerns. One speaker said the program could reduce recidivism and save taxpayer dollars; another said the community needs stronger enforcement for violent offenders.

The board’s direction authorized preparatory work only; no contract or site was approved. Staff told the board they will return with an RFP scope, cost estimate, and recommended public‑engagement steps. Bond and the sheriff said the state has expressed interest in partnering on the model, and the board referenced the need to identify state and private funding sources before any final commitment.

Votes at a glance: Motion to direct the CEO and sheriff to prepare an RFP and pursue funding/options for the Amity Foundation reentry program: mover — Supervisor Plummer; second — not specified in the record; vote — 4 yes, 0 no, Supervisor Harmon absent.

Why it matters: The decision advances an initiative that county leaders described as a possible strategy to reduce jail populations, provide longer‑term treatment and training, and shift some sentenced populations from custodial care to supervised community settings.