A new Alameda County Superior Court program is reducing recidivism, according to data compiled by the court, but officials say funding could run out by the end of the year.

At any given time, more than 3,000 people released from custody in Alameda County are awaiting trial. Many lack the resources needed to comply with court-ordered conditions or appear at scheduled hearings, including reliable transportation, stable housing, employment, and substance use treatment. Without that support, some are rearrested and return to jail.

The Pretrial Expansion Program, launched in February, has served 503 people, including 191 enrolled in substance use treatment, 186 who were helped with securing housing, and 204 people helped with obtaining public benefits like CalFresh and transportation assistance. Court officials say this has greatly reduced the number of people rearrested.

From 2024 to 2025, 43% of moderate-risk defendants released from Santa Rita Jail were rearrested, according to court spokesperson Paul Rosynsky. Since the program launched, that rate has dropped to 18%, according to the court’s latest data.

Alameda County Pretrial Services uses an automated system to assess a person’s likelihood of being rearrested or failing to appear in court, categorizing them as low, moderate, or high risk.

“When you release someone back into the same circumstances that led to their arrest, it’s often not realistic to expect a different outcome,” said Cory Jacobs, pretrial services program manager, in a news release. “People’s lives are changing, making the community safer in the process.”

The initiative is a partnership between the Alameda County Superior Court, the Alameda County Probation Department, and the nonprofit Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, or BOSS.

## The county Board of Supervisors ultimately decides the program’s future

The initiative is state-funded through Assembly Bill 109 rather than the county’s budget, but the Alameda County Board of Supervisors ultimately decides how that money is distributed. The goal is to save costs related to sending people to prison, while investing those funds in local services that improve public safety.

Alameda County receives about $70 million in AB 109 funding each year, Rosynsky said. Some of that money is restricted to certain programs, but the rest can be used however the Board of Supervisors sees fit, as long as it’s related to the supervision and rehabilitation of non-serious offenders.

In recent years, the county has not been using its full share of AB 109 funding. When the court asked the county to use the funds to launch the pretrial services program, the county “finally” agreed, said Rosynsky.

Although early results are promising, the Board of Supervisors has not yet agreed to continue to fund the program.

The need for pretrial services has become more pressing following two California Supreme Court decisions, Presiding Judge Michael Markman said.

In In re Humphrey and In re Kowalczyk, the court ruled that judges must consider a defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail. If someone cannot afford bail, they may be released on their own recognizance while awaiting trial.

“If somebody has a substance abuse problem and is required to go to AA, and they have a case manager who’s making sure they go, that makes a huge difference,” he said. “Pairing up somebody who doesn’t have a bed to sleep in with housing, and who’s arrested on a petty theft charge, might just stop them from committing another petty theft.”

But the county’s pretrial population is growing, and the program’s current staffing is “nowhere near sufficient” to meet the demand, Rosynsky said.

The program currently employs eight case managers, two supervisors, and two intake coordinators.

“It’s a small but mighty group,” Markman said. “They’re doing a great job with not a whole lot of people.”

The court hopes to expand the program to 24 case managers, four supervisors, four intake coordinators, four housing navigators, and eight reentry coordinators.

The expansion would cost about $8.5 million, Rosynsky said.

The Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee, made up of representatives from the court, district attorney, public defender, probation department, and sheriff’s office, recommends to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors how AB 109 funding should be allocated. The court is asking the committee to recommend funding for the expansion.

The Board of Supervisors has final authority over whether to approve that recommendation, Rosynsky said. The program’s current funding expires in December.

“The program appears to be successful based on the early statistics that we have for the past five months,” Markman said. “Pulling the plug after less than a year would be a real tragedy.”