Riverside Criminal Justice Agency requests part‑time pretrial position as referrals rise

A Riverside Criminal Justice Agency (RCJ) representative asked the board to fund a part‑time pretrial/probation technician to help manage growing referrals and court support demands. RCJ described FY2027 operating requests totaling $1,385,706 and reported Prince George’s locality contribution at roughly $222,224 in the prior fiscal year; the county’s FY27 share was listed as part of the packet.

RCJ said three primary workload drivers justify the part‑time role: a color‑code random drug testing system that consumes officer time, increased expectations for RCJ to appear in multiple weekly court dockets across localities, and a rise in bed‑to‑bed pretrial referrals (defendants released on bond and immediately transported to treatment or recovery facilities). The agency reported a half‑year FY26 trend indicating about a 14% increase in referrals and said a part‑time position could handle caseloads of 30–40 bed‑to‑bed clients. RCJ estimated the annual cost for the part‑time position at $26,124.

RCJ also described potential savings compared with incarceration (citing prior comparisons that showed community supervision costs under $10/day versus daily jail costs in the $40+ range) and asked the board to consider the strategic plan consultant and metrics included in the submitted packet. Board members requested details on strategic‑plan costs and metrics; RCJ said it would provide comparative numbers on cost avoidance and related metrics.