Keep Bailing

The City of Richmond has broken ground on the new $134.6 million jail facility, which will replace the old facility that has been in use since it opened in the 1960s. The plans were approved in December by the Virginia Board of Corrections. The new facility is rated to house 1,032 inmates and is scheduled to open its doors in 2014. It is being constructed next to the existing Richmond jail.

The current jail is only rated to house 880 inmates, but that number has been stretched between 1,300 and 1,500 inmates total, at times. This has caused some concern that the new jail will reach capacity quickly. Mayor Dwight C. Jones has promised, however, that the new facility is Read more »

Tuolumne County submitted an application, along with seven others, in order to receive funding from the state for a new jail complex. County officials were hoping for a maximum $33 million for the project. However, the county ranks lowest in priority among the small counties that applied.

The total cost of the proposed project in Tuolumne County Jail is estimated at $48 million. The other counties that applied for the small county category of funding are Kings, Shasta, Sutter, Madera, Imperial, San Benito and Siskiyou.

There is only $102 million available from the state for county corrections projects and the eight counties requested a total of Read more »

Woody Harrelson has had his fair share of interesting roles throughout the years.  Now, though, he has taken on the role of an officer at the LAPD Rampart Station. In the upcoming movie Rampart Harrelson will play the corrupt, lawless police officer who muscles confessions out of bad-guys and in one scene, is caught on camera beating a perpetrator close to death.  That is where his problems begin.

According to The L.A. Times, in the film, the Los Angeles Police Department, which is trying to overcome failing public trust Read more »

Santa Clara County jail has over 1,000 empty inmate beds but officials are still hoping to receive state funds for an overhaul and expansion of the jail system. The estimated cost of the expansion is $104 million, not including the millions in operating costs each year.

Due to the new California realignment plan, counties all across the state are taking a closer look at their jail facilities. Many of them, like Los Angeles County, are already facing severe overcrowding in the jails. While Santa Clara County does not have an overwhelming influx of inmates, they have other issues.

Jails in Santa Clara are not built to hold inmates for extended periods of time. Cells may have wooden Read more »

The San Diego Police Department has announced that for the first time in more than 12 months that they are moving forward with hiring new recruits.  The annual starting salary for new recruits ranges between $41,000 and $50,000.

The process, said department officials, includes a written test, background screen, polygraph test, interviews, psychological testing and a physical test.  The latter portion includes scaling walls, carrying a 155 pound dummy as well as a timed-stair climbing test.

SDPD Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman said that the SDPD is currently “147 officers below budgeted staff”.

San Diego 10 News has reported that the department is Read more »

Suspect Handcuffed To Stairs By Bail Bondsman

Perhaps filed under the category of “Why Choose A Bondsman Wisely” or “How Not Run a Bail Business” comes today’s Fun Friday in Bail story: A Missouri bail bondswoman decided to take matters into her own hands after police refused to accept an alleged fugitive suspect into custody. Instead of releasing him, the bondsman handcuffed him to the stairs in her home. She was later arrested and charged with false imprisonment for the her actions. Hmm… no kidding?

KY-3 TV has reported that Jean Marie Chartier brought Reynaldo Delarosa to a Webb City jail in an attempt to revoke his bond but was denied because she did not have a court order.  Instead of letting him go she apparently transported him to her home and handcuffed him to the banister of her staircase. Court documents indicate it was her intention to detain him until she was able to speak with a judge the following day. Reportedly the defendant was confined in her home for at least 24-hours and was released only after his friends co-signed a $7,500 bond. Interesting way to get clients to pay. I don’t think we’ll try it.

In the state of Missouri, like California, it is illegal for a bondsman and/or bail recovery agent to detain a person longer than it takes to get them to the jail. They are also prohibited from cuffing suspects unless they are being taken to a jail.

Chartier is currently Read more »

California’s prison realignment is continuing to cause waves throughout the state.  Most recently, it’s been reported that low-level offenders who previously helped clear brush and cut fire lines, will no longer be able to serve in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Conservation Camp Program after they’re transferred from state to county jails.

The primary mission of the Conservation Camp program is to provide agencies with an able-bodied, trained work force for fire suppression and other emergencies such as floods and earthquakes.

According to statistics provided by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in an average year, Conservation Camp Program inmates provide approximately three million person hours in firefighting and other emergencies and save California taxpayers more than $80 million annually, on average.

The challenge lies in that many county jails, such as Los Angeles jails and San Diego jails, are releasing Read more »

A lot has happened with the state’s numerous jails in the past 12 months.  Between celebrity arrests, jail over-crowding, budget cuts and prisoner realignment, state lawmakers and law enforcement officials have had their plates full. Now, with 2011 fast approaching its close, we thought we’d go back and highlight the top 10 jail headlines of the year.

#10 Santa Maria Jail And Gang Unit Faces Cuts

The Santa Maria jail and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s gang unit received notification that they were in jeopardy of being shut down as a means of helping to bridge the county’s $72 million budget gap. Sheriff’s deputies did not take the proposal lightly, although they acknowledged the need for budget cuts.  Officials estimated that closing the jail could save $1.2 million annually.

#9 LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Opens

Although many were excited about the February opening of the $84 million downtown Los Angeles facility, others pointed to concerns that the jail would take 83 officers off the street to help operate it. Once opened, the Metro Center Jail replaced the antiquated, 50 year-old Parker Center Jail.

#8 Plea Deal And No Jail Time For Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson made a plea deal with prosecutors this year which meant he did not need to face jail time for his 2010 domestic violence charges. As part of the deal Gibson pled guilty to misdemeanor battery charges for an altercation involving his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. He was, however, ordered to undergo counseling as part of that agreement.

#7 Merced Sheriff Proposes Closing Main Jail

In May of 2011, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin suggested the closure of the main jail as a means of helping to close the county’s $20 million budget deficit.  He further proposed the early release of 150-200 inmates and the elimination of 20 correctional officers.  The closure, he said would trim $8 million from the sheriff’s $40 million budget.

#6  San Francisco County Jail Will No Longer Hold ICE Inmates

Starting June 1, the San Francisco County Jail implemented a policy which exempted it from detaining illegal immigrants who had been arrested for petty crimes. This was the first time in the history of California that this type of policy was enacted.  Law enforcement officials said that the county was not obligated to assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless a felony crime had been committed.

#5 Costa Mesa Considers Outsourcing for Jail

Law enforcement officials in Costa Mesa joined others from throughout the state in searching for creative solutions to help bridge budget gaps. Part of that solution involved putting out a request for proposal (RFP) to seek a private firm take over jail operations. A bid from the firm G4S to run the Costa Mesa Jail came with an approximate annual cost of $614,000. Proponents of the plan pointed out that this was a marked reduction from the $1.3 million it cost to run the facility under the city’s police department.

#4 California Jails Ordered To Reduce Prison Population

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California needed to reduce its prisoner population by 30,000.  CA Gov. Jerry Brown then proposed “realigning” prisons as a means of compliance.  Instead of low-level, non-violent non-sexual offenders serving out their sentences in state facilities, Brown proposed they be transferred to county facilities instead. The realignment concept sparked concern from sheriff’s departments throughout the state, including the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

#3 Alleged Beating at Twin Towers Spawns Internal Investigation

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department found itself under the microscope for most of 2011 after allegations that two Sheriff’s Deputies beat a Twin Towers Jail inmate unconscious.  The Jan. 24 log of the incident said the “inmate was punching the deputies until they had no other choice but to tase him”.   The American Civil Liberties Union said that charges like this are not uncommon but are hard to prove because the inmate-witnesses to the alleged crimes are not considered to be credible.

#2 LA County Board Of Supervisors: Jails Need More Oversight

After months of internal investigations the LA County Board of Supervisors agreed with suggestions that county jails needed more oversight.  As of Oct. 20, two plans were being considered.  The first proposed the instillation of surveillance cameras, eliminating the use of heavy flashlights and steel-toed shoes, and the implementation of a ban that would prohibit deputies from striking inmates on the head.  Plan number two would establish an independent review commission that would look into complaints. The supervisors hoped this would help restore public confidence in the Los Angeles County Jail system.

#1 Read more »

Los Angeles County has put together a seven-member commission that will investigate the county’s troubled jail systems. This will give residents and county officials a better understanding of what is going wrong and what is being done right under Sheriff Lee Baca.

The FBI has already been looking into allegations of misconduct by sheriff’s deputies within the Los Angeles County jail. There have been multiple reports of abuse and violence. There was even one instance of a rookie deputy resigning after his supervisor allegedly told him to beat an inmate who was mentally ill. Nearly 30 deputies have been disciplined for covering up abuse or beating inmates in the last two years.

The new commission has limited power. It cannot force Sheriff Baca to make changes or subpoena documents. Since Sheriff Baca is an elected official, the only way to get him out of office is through a vote by residents. It can, however, raise public awareness about the issues and put pressure on the Board of Supervisors and the sheriff to make changes.

Members of the new commission include Read more »

Almost all of the large cities in Orange County have seen a steady drop in crime rates during the first half of the year. Some of the cities have even been ranked among the country’s safest cities.

According to a study by the FBI, violent crimes such as rape, murder, assault and robbery saw a large decrease in the cities of Garden Grove, Orange and Santa Ana. This fall in violent crimes reported to the police is in line with the nationwide decrease of 6.4 percent for the first half of 2011.

One publication listed Lake Forest, Irvine and Mission Viejo among the safest cities. Forbes included the city of Santa Ana on its list of the safest communities in the country.

While violent crimes have decreased greatly, property crimes Read more »