Keep Bailing

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 »

Costly Renovations Proposed for Pitchess Detention Center and Men’s Central Jail.

Our Inside California Jails Series…
The LA County Board of Supervisors has been asked to approve a proposal which would allocate $1,4 billion to renovate two LA County jails.   The improvements outlined in the plan would include the modernization of the downtown Men’s Central Jail as well as the addition of 400 bets to Pitchess Detention Center.

Proponents of the plan say that spending the money now would equate to long-term cost savings to the county.  Opponents, however, point to the weak economy and question whether taking on such a marked expense is prudent at the current time.

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

Here, we’ll fill you in on:

• How California’s Prison Realignment Plan Could Read more »

LA Weekly Crime blogger Dennis Romero Monday reported that LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley is extremely unhappy with California’s prison realignment program.

Because the program gives County Sheriffs, such as LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, the authority release incarcerates to home detention or release them early, Romero believes the best solution is to prosecute, prosecute prosecute. A big part of his plan is to ensure that defendants are charged with the most serious charges allowed to ensure that as many offenders as possible will serve their sentences in state prisons.

Some believe this strategy will Read more »

County officials throughout the state are voicing concern that their jails may soon reach capacity. Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County and Kern County are all in dire situations.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that approximately 30,000 inmates being housed at state facilities would need to be transferred to county prisons as a means of reducing overcrowding, reports NBC Los Angeles.  Last it was reported that Los Angeles County Jails could run out of room before the close of the year.  Riverside County has reported that they too are quickly running out of bed space and that county jails could reach capacity by January. At current, the Riverside County Jail is at 93% capacity.

Orange County Assistant Sheriff Mike James said that Read more »

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 »

We try to avoid the LiLo stories, but every now and again, we have to cover it. So, you probably already know that yesterday Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner sentenced Lindsay Lohan to 300 days in the Los Angeles County women’s  jail for violating the terms of her probation, but will require only 30 days if she meets immediate requirements of the judge..

The judge said full sentence, which she described as “putting the keys in the defendant’s hands“, requires Lohan serve just 30 days with the remaining time being temporarily stayed.  If Lohan completes a mandated 12-days of community service at the county morgue and four sessions with a psychotherapist before her next scheduled court hearing in December, the stay will extend through mid-January.

Lohan is scheduled to Read more »

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca told the LA Board of Supervisors that additional cameras will be installed in Los Angeles County jails following allegations of inmate abuse and misconduct by jail staff.

300 cameras in total were purchased according to Baca. KFI News has reported that the cameras will be installed over the course of the next five months at a cost of approximately $484,000.  This is in addition to the $308,000 spent to acquire the equipment.

A commission has been convened by the Board of Supervisors which Read more »

The LA Times has reported that command staff within the LA County Jail system first raised alarms about inmate abuse to Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca almost two years ago.

The latest investigative article brings continued scrutiny to the nation’s largest jail system.  Reports of brutality against inmates, employee misconduct, and the use of unnecessary and excessive force by sheriffs and other jail personnel have mounted in recent weeks.

One of the reports found that deputies crafted narratives ‘dramatized to justify’ force. Reportedly, jailers delayed using weapons that could end fights, like pepper spray and stun guns, to ‘dispense appropriate jailhouse justice’.

Although supervisors had, at times, recommended Read more »

The LA County Board of Supervisors agrees with suggestions that the county’s jails need more oversight.

The LA Times Tuesday reported that two proposals; which provide for greater employee scrutiny; were unanimously approved.

One of the plans, backed by Supervisor Gloria Molina, called for implementing recommendations made earlier by an outside monitor, including installing surveillance cameras, eliminating the use of heavy flashlights and steel-toed shoes, and banning deputies from striking inmates in the head.

The other plan, backed by Read more »

LA County Sheriff’s officials continue to remain under fire amidst charges of inmate abuse, according to a report by the LA Times.

A number of jail employees, 30 in total, are now facing disciplinary action for abusing and/or covering up abuse of inmates.  The Office of Independent Review (OIR), which serves as a “watchdog” for the department, found that stories were often forged as a means of “justifying” physical action against inmates.  Disproving those claims, they said, is often difficult to prove.

The report further stated that “only a fraction” of jail employees who used excessive force punished for their actions.  The full report, prepared by OIR head Michael Gennaco, is expected to be released later today.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Gennaco said jail surveillance cameras had captured footage of Read more »