Quarterly Report Shows Pretrial Service Program Expansion Exceeding Expectations

More than 500 individuals served since February 2026; Over 180 people housed; Rearrests and failures to appear in court reduced since program implemented.

Oakland, Calif. – July 8, 2026 – Alameda County's Pretrial Expansion Program is showing remarkable gains in both public safety and access to critical services.

In just four months, the Pretrial Expansion Program has served over 500 program participants, obtained stable housing for 180 transient individuals, enrolled almost 200 individuals in substance abuse treatment programs and has seen a reduction in recidivism of the population served.

The program is designed to target a growing population of moderate-risk individuals who, based on recent State Supreme Court rulings, must be released from jail pending trial.  At any given time, Alameda County has more than 3,000 people awaiting trial in the community.

In recent years, recidivism rates for this moderate-risk population exceeded 40 percent. Many of these individuals were released without resources to help them comply with court-ordered conditions, appear for scheduled court hearings, or connect to critical services like housing, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment.

Recognizing the urgent need for change, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors directed the county's public safety partners to develop and implement a plan for expanding pretrial services. The Pretrial Expansion Program is designed to close those gaps, protect the community, and give people the support they need to avoid rearrest and live more productive lives.

"When you release someone back into the same circumstances that led to their arrest, it's often not realistic to expect a different outcome. The pretrial services program is designed to change those circumstances by intervening immediately upon release and assessing each individual’s particular needs. We seek to give people access to stability, to support, to a real path forward,” said Cory Jacobs, who leads the Court's pretrial services unit.  “People are being connected to the resources they need. Re-arrests are down. People are appearing for court. People’s lives are changing, making the community safer in the process. That’s exactly what this program was built to do.”

Under the Pretrial Expansion Program, individuals released pending trial can receive case management services immediately after they are released from custody. Case management services are provided by Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), a nonprofit organization with a long history of providing essential services to those in need.

Program participants receive a range of services including housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, public benefit assistance, and transportation assistance. Some individuals can be transported directly to housing and treatment programs from Santa Rita Jail.

Analyses conducted after the first three months of the program indicate a reduction in recidivism of the population served. Before the program began, about 43 percent of moderate-risk defendants released from jail were rearrested. Since February, when the program began, that rate is now 18 percent.

Unfortunately, current program staffing levels are nowhere near sufficient to provide services to the entire population of individuals who benefit from them. 

Alameda County’s pretrial population continues to grow rapidly in the aftermath of a recent California’s Supreme Court ruling (In re: Kowalczyk) which reaffirmed previous rulings that require judges to take someone’s financial circumstances into account when setting bail.  

Additional funding is urgently needed if the program is to adequately serve the population, continue reducing recidivism, and increase public safety. The Court has expressed the need for ongoing and increased funding to the Alameda County Probation Department with the hope that the Probation Department will move forward with the funding request process.

Funding for the program comes from AB 109 funds, allocated by the California Legislature to the county for purposes of criminal justice realignment, and not from the county’s general fund. For the past several years, the county has not spent its entire AB 109 allocation, and the court’s funding request would likewise not exceed the funds available under AB 109.

“The Pretrial Expansion Program is working and it benefits the entire community,” said Presiding Judge Michael Markman. “It is helping individuals achieve stability and avoid the revolving door of arrest and incarceration, which reduces crime and saves taxpayer dollars. Losing funding support for the program would be tragically short-sighted.”

Click this link to view Quarterly Report.

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