 The Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail was awarded more than $55,000 in federal cash for housing "undocumented criminal aliens" in the last fiscal year—an increase, despite cuts to the grant program.
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In the last six fiscal years, the ACRJ received $235,825 in grants from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). The grants, administered by the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security, were awarded to the City of Charlottesville, and Albemarle and Nelson counties as reimbursement for the cost of housing individuals classified as “undocumented criminal aliens.”
On Monday, October 18, Charlottesville City Council announced its latest SCAAP grant, part of the $55,836 awarded to the three regions that fund the jail. Both Charlottesville and Albemarle saw increased grants compared to 2009; Charlottesville received $19,953, while Albemarle County received $35,373. The $55,000-plus total is more than twice the amount awarded to the jail for FY2007.
Grants are awarded according to the total number of days undocumented criminals spend in jail each fiscal year, the total salary of jail staff, and a formula that figures the average daily cost for an inmate. The maximum award for each grant applicant is then adjusted according to the total budgeted for grants.
In 2009, President Barack Obama came under fire when he considered eliminating SCAAP funding for 2010. He opted instead to reduce the total amount of grants by 18 percent from $394 million in FY2009. During the same time period, grants to Charlottesville increased by more than $7,000. After two grant cycles in the $48,000 range, the regional jail saw a jump of more than 15 percent to its $55,000-plus total.
Colonel Ronald Matthews, superintendent of the regional jail, says he anticipates roughly $41,500 in grants for FY2011. Obama allotted $330 million for SCAAP in FY2011.
“The unfortunate thing is, you don’t know how much money you’re going to get,” says Matthews. “It’s a set amount, and depends on how much money the government puts into the program.” As it is, both Charlottesville and Albemarle direct 22 percent of funds—$12,171—to a Texas-based business called Justice Benefits, Inc., for “administrative support.”
Information on the number of undocumented criminals in the regional jail was not immediately available for FY2010. However, “we had an increase in the number of days [incarcerated], as far as aliens go,” says Matthews.
Numbers for FY2009 provide context for the increase in SCAAP grants. According to documents for the 2009 grants, Charlottesville counted five “ICE eligible inmates”—those classified as undocumented criminals by the U.S. Department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement—who spent an average of 86 days behind bars. The city also received funds for 28 “unknown” inmates who spent an average of 54 days in jail. Albemarle County was reimbursed for nine ICE eligible inmates and 49 unknown inmates, whose average stays totaled 196 days and 57 days, respectively.