Keep Bailing

Last week, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors, Sheriff Lee Baca proposed closing the minimum security jail at the Pitchess Detention Center in order to mitigate $79 million in losses to the department due to budget cuts.

The Los Angeles Daily News article states:

The proposal, if ultimately approved, would reduce the amount of time county-sentenced inmates spend in jail and potentially could increase jail violence, Baca wrote in a letter to the Board of Supervisors.

County-sentenced inmates, who make up 17 to 22 percent of inmates, now serve about 70 percent of their sentences. The closure of the facility would “severely reduce” that percentage, Baca wrote.

“This is still in discussions because he obviously doesn’t want to do this,” sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said. “What he’s doing now by way of explaining his budget is letting them know what may have to be done.”

“This is not a red herring. This is a serious situation and he is prepared to close the North Facility at Pitchess as of Wednesday.”

I have to wonder if they are serious about this move. The Sheriff himself says in his letter, “A reduction in jail beds could potentially result in an increase in inmate violence and a resultant increase in the use of force.” He also indicates he is ready to close the facility as early as this Wednesday.

Pitchess Jail, which features four jails North, South, East and West, is one of Los Angeles County’s main detention facilities. The  jail to be closed is the North Facility is the minimum security jail housing 1600 inmates.