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Over Capacity

Our Inside California Jails Series Continues….

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that California state prisons were too overcrowded is already beginning to impact counties throughout the state.  Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has already begun sounding alarms, saying that Los Angeles jails could reach their capacity by the end of 2011.

An additional 8,000 inmates will be realigned to Los Angeles jails next year, officials said, putting the city between a rock and a hard place.  A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s department has said that approximately 70% of the inmate population consists of defendants who are awaiting trial.   Due to severe overcrowding, they said, that number may need to be reduced to around 50%.

Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds continues with our tenth series in our California jails: Inside the Los Angeles County Jails.

Here, we’ll fill you in on:

• Legislative Changes That Are Impacting LA County Jails
• Jail Overcrowding
• Possible Early Release Read more »

The California Department of Corrections (DOC) has green-lighted 25 counties to apply for Phase II Jail Construction funding, according to a report by KEYT.  The following California county jails have received invitations to apply: Los Angeles, Riverside, Toulumne, Siskiyou, San Benito, Orange, Read more »

California state assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee) believes that the state’s prison overpopulation problem can be solved by relocating inmates to facilities south of the border.  If the proposal is successful, that means prisoners from throughout the state, including those being held at the Las Colinas Jail for Women, could potentially be relocated.

The crux of the argument, reports Fox 5 San Diego, lies in the 27,000+ illegal immigrant inmates being detained in California prisons.  Jones believes a more cost-effective solution would be to construct facilities in Mexico and house them there, he said.

According to a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California, the state’s prisons are operating at 175% of Read more »

The Fresno County Jail is “filling up fast” according to an Oct. 12 report by ABC30. Because of this, say local elected officials, concerns that with the newly mandated transfer of prisoners out of state facilities and into county jails, compounded by concerns of overcrowding, are urgent.

Fresno County law enforcement officers have indicated that the county jail could reach its peak capacity in “less than two weeks,” although Rick Hill, who works at the county sheriff’s department believes “we will probably get overcrowded in three or four days.”

Because of this, Hill furthered, the number of pre-trial inmates who might be eligible for early release on their own recognizance, may increase. One Fresno County bail bondsman indicated that allowing inmates to be released without them needing to make bail could lead to an increased Read more »

Effective October 1, California state prisons must decrease the inmate population and will be sending felons to be housed at county jails. In order to get the Fresno County Jail ready for its growing population, a new floor is being reopened and 432 beds are being brought in.

But with local criminals still overflowing the jail, it won’t be long before the extra space is also filled. The city will be forced to release inmates early in order to prevent severe overcrowding.

Inmates from prisons will not be transferred right away to the county facility. Instead, judges will begin sentencing lower-level felons to serve their time in county jails. County probation officers will start supervising low-level felons upon their release from prison. This will bring the number of criminals being handled in Fresno County to about 2,000.

It is feared by many law enforcement leaders that Read more »

With prison overcrowding and costs being a major issue in California, the state is implementing a new strategy for reducing both. The punishment and rehabilitation of non-violent felons will become the responsibility of local communities and not state prisons.

As covered by the Mercury-News, beginning Saturday, low-level offenders will be released from jail sooner than they would have under present rules, either because they are involved in outside rehabilitation programs, serving shorter sentences, or on post-release supervision.

The state is adamant that public safety Read more »

Redwood City, CA – KCBS reports a reduction of inmate visits by one day a week at Redwood City jail.  The already overcrowded facility is preparing for a new influx of prisoners as a result of the state’s public safety realignment plan.  Once the plan is executed, inmates will be transferred from California’s 33 state prisons to county jails.

Tom Merson, the sheriff’s office risk manager, mentions that due to budget cuts Redwood City jail is not Read more »

Jail overcrowding has become a major concern across California. In Riverside County, officials are looking at all possible options to help reduce the problem in the county. The county’s oldest facility, the Indio Jail, is being looked at for expansion.

The 353-bed detention center has faced severe overcrowding throughout the years, being forced to release inmates prematurely. Expanding the facility is thought to be the fastest and most cost-effective solution, as opposed to a previous effort to build a 7,200 bed facility to be used by the entire county.

The 60-year-old facility doesn’t show as much wear as people would expect, due in part to the upkeep by the inmates. Jail staff members also take pride in maintaining the facility by keeping up with all necessary repairs.

One of the most pressing issues with the jail is the lack of Read more »

The John Latorraca Correctional Center, the Merced County Jail, released 42 inmates ahead of schedule in hopes to minimize costs for the county.

Merced County Sheriffs Department, Commander James Buttrey, stated that the population of the jail is down to approximately 630 inmates. The Sheriffs Department had already released Read more »

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s order last month, that California must reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates over the next few years, Riverside County Jails are reportedly looking for possible solutions to help with the severe overcrowding issue.

The state could possibly send some of their inmates to county jails to serve out their sentences. Because of this, Riverside County is proposing to charge inmates for the cost of incarceration.

The plan is for inmates to repay the county for housing, feeding, clothing, and supervising them. Supervisor Jeff Stone says, “It’s $142 a day that it costs the taxpayers to house our convicts in our jails which amounts to $51,830 a year.” Stone admits that the idea is a long shot.

The plan also includes charging admission fees for Read more »