Beth Healy

The Special Meeting included the approval of the agenda. Under Old Business, a significant discussion took place regarding the FY'26 Approved Jail Budget and Service Agreement. A motion was made by Stafford County to amend the FY'26 budget to allow the Finance Committee to reduce the budget by one million dollars, which would reduce Stafford's contribution by approximately $400,000. This motion was subject to a roll call vote but ultimately did not carry, with the Chair and several other members voting against it, and one member abstaining.

The Jail Authority Board Meeting covered the approval of the agenda, public comments regarding inmate tablets and mental health treatment/specialty docket placement, and the presentation of Years of Service Awards and Employee of the 1st Quarter Awards. Under Old Business, no items were presented. New Business included a discussion regarding the possible sale of the Log Cabin property, which the Board ultimately passed on purchasing. The Superintendent presented reports detailing increased pretrial numbers due to state changes and concerns regarding the new pretrial risk assessment not factoring in criminal history.

The meeting included reviews of statistics for Community Corrections Programs and the Rappahannock Regional Jail, noting total figures for April 2025. The RACSB update highlighted the operational CIT assessment center, increased crisis stabilization numbers, the receipt and staffing of the new Mobile Response Unit for opioid use disorder treatment, and training provided to law enforcement regarding a new co-response therapist. The RAASAP referral report summarized conviction data for late 2024 and early 2025. The Probation and Parole overview detailed supervision numbers, including registered sex offenders and those on GPS monitoring. The Juvenile Justice Report provided current caseloads for each CSU, noting new hires and the implementation of the FOCUS intervention. A significant discussion focused on the recent DCJS changes to Pretrial reports, which restrict the inclusion of criminal history information (pending charges, arrests, prior convictions) for judges and attorneys, potentially leading to unfair bail determinations and increased caseloads.

The meeting was called to order, but a quorum was not met, resulting in the tabling of the approval of the previous meeting minutes until the December 4, 2025 meeting. Key discussions included a presentation on Virginia Electronic Monitoring Systems (VEMS), covering their services such as SCRAM continuous alcohol monitoring, GPS tracking, and victim applications, along with associated costs. Community Corrections and Rappahannock Regional Jail (RRJ) statistics were presented, showing totals for video arraignments, average daily count, and participation in various Community Corrections Programs. The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) update covered the impending launch of a mobile response unit, staffing for co-response teams, the hiring of a homeless outreach coordinator, and the purchase of a facility to expand crisis services. The Magistrate Update noted that they remain fully staffed and are implementing a new app (Pexip) for remote video conferencing with hospitals. Reports were also provided on RAASAP referrals and District 21 Probation and Parole statistics, including supervision numbers and violation reports.

The meeting was called to order but did not reach a quorum, resulting in no public comments being taken. Discussion included Community Corrections and Rappahannock Regional Jail (RRJ) statistics for January 2023, covering video arraignments, bookings, releases, and the total count of individuals in Community Corrections programs. The RACSB report provided diversion data for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2023, noting workforce shortages impacting service delivery at Sunshine Lady House and other programs. A report on District 21 Probation and Parole staffing, case supervision statistics (including high-level cases, sex offenders, and drug tests), was presented. The Juvenile Justice report could not be provided due to staff vacancies. The board voted to suspend Article Six-Section 3 of the Bylaws to proceed with approving the previous meeting minutes from December 1, 2022. Four letters of support for Ms. Anna Powers, related to Drug Court, Behavioral Health Docket, Veterans Docket, and Community-Based Probation/Pretrial services, were unanimously approved.