Title
Sheriff's Office recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Board Chair to sign Amendment II to Contract 4379 with Praeses, increasing the not to exceed amount to $180,000 and the term to January 14, 2024, the effective date of the contract will now be January 15, 2020 through January 14, 2024 for providing consulting services related to inmate communications at the Placerville and South Lake Tahoe Jails; and
2) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to sign any amendments to the contract that do not affect the total dollar amount or term of the contract contingent upon review and approval by County Counsel.
FUNDING: $0 Net County Cost, revenue contract.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Sheriff’s Office is legally obligated to provide inmates the ability to make calls and receive visitors. NCIC is the Sheriff’s Office inmate communications service provider. At no charge to the County, NCIC installed the equipment to set up a phone system in the Placerville and South Lake Tahoe Jails. They also provided over a 185 tablets for video visitation, legal research and for monitored gaming and text messaging. NCIC makes their profits from fees they charge inmates for phone calls and tablet usage. The Sheriff’s Office also receives a portion of the fees charged to inmates. An estimated 10,000 calls are conducted in El Dorado County Jails each month. Additionally an average of 400 video visitation hours have occurred each month during the Covid-19 epidemic where in person visitation has been suspended. Inmates also utilize tablets on average over 600 hours per month for education, legal research and for approved gaming such as solitaire and sudoku and for text messaging. The Sheriff’s Office contracts with Praeses to audit fees NCIC charges inmates and to ensure EDSO gets the proper amount of commissions among other services they provide. Please refer to Exhibit A contract #4379 Amendment II for a full listing of the scope of services provided.
This B...
Click here for full text