Although a number of residents have voiced opposition to the plan Sheriff’s officials maintain that the facility will “continue to house minimum security inmates” only.   The expansion is needed, they said, due to the state’s prison realignment program.  Proponents of the plan have pointed out that Orange County jails received close to 300 new inmates during the first month of implementation alone.

Eventually, plans for the facility would include expanding the 1,250-bed facility to 7,500 beds.  The cost to operate the expanded facility would be approximately $28 million per year.  Sources within the Sheriff’s Department said that funding sources have already been identified.

At current, the James A. Musick jail is commanded by Captain Dana Bergquist and provides rehabilitative activities and housing for minimum-security inmates.  Egg farming and vegetable growing are among the activities emphasized.

The prisoner population consists largely of persons charged with misdemeanor crimes such as DUI offenses or minor drug possession.  Persons convicted of violent felonies are generally not permitted to serve their time at this facility as they are considered “unsuitable”.

Persons wishing to visit inmates at the James A. Musick jail are able to do so Friday through Sunday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Visitors are required to pass through metal detectors, are subject to search and are required to have a valid ID.  Overly-revealing clothing is not permitted and visitors carrying contraband or who have outstanding warrants will be promptly arrested.

The Mercury News has reported that state corrections officials are saying that although they are receiving more prisoners than initially expected that it’s still too soon to panic.

Los Angeles and Riverside County jails initially believed they could reach capacity by the close of 2011.  Spokespeople from both counties have since delayed the timeline.  Still, LA County Sheriffs officials are considering releasing less-serious offenders early with the stipulation that they continue to be monitored with GPS-ankle bracelets.

Orange County Jail officials have said that “more than 60 detainees had to sleep on the jail floor until beds could be made available”.    Fresno County Jail has recently said they will no longer detain parole violators for minor infractions. Those who have been caught committing new crimes could be readmitted.

Reportedly judges are no longer permitted to send persons who commit auto theft, grand theft, drug possession with the intent to distribute or burglary to state facilities.

Proponents of the realignment say this will force law enforcement officials to place greater emphasis on reducing recidivism rates as well as stress the need for prisoner rehabilitation. At current, 70% of paroled inmates commit new crimes.

Others believe that under the realignment, the need to reduce inmates early could potentially increase crime in urban areas.  Concerns about pre-trial witness tampering are also beginning to abound.

Regardless, county lawmakers will need to lobby Sacramento for additional funding should the trend continue. Although approximately $400 million has already been distributed to the state’s 58 counties to help offset costs, counties say additional funds will be needed.

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 in October, they expected to receive 94 inmates but got 292 instead.  Those numbers, Sheriffs officials say, add up quickly.

Media outlets have further reported that a total of 50 Kern County parolees who had committed new offenses needed to be released due to overcrowding.  The Kern County Sheriff’s Department said they received 150 inmates in October, 30 more than the 120 they anticipated.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has said that for now, the funding to accommodate additional incarcerates is available due to increased funding from the state.

The 2006 beating reportedly occurred because the defendants believed the inmate to be a child molester. Jurors found Garret Eugene Aguilar, Stephen Paul Carlstrom, Jared Louis Petrovich, Miguel Angel Guillen, and Raul Villafana,  guilty of the crime.  They all face 15 years to life.

“A grand jury probe concluded that the beating death grew out of an institutional culture that allowed inmates to run the jails while deputies watched television and slept at times,” wrote OC City News Service reporter Paul Anderson. “[Former OC Sheriff's deputy Kevin Taylor] has been accused of watching ‘Cops’ and text-messaging during the beating, just about 68-feet away from the blind spot at the jail.” Prosecutors issued a scathing report on how the jails are run after the beating, but never charged any of the guards.

Another three other men, Michael Stewart Garten,  Christopher Teague, and Jeremy Dezso Culmann, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in January. Defendant Eric Charles Miller is being tried separately.  Miller has been charged with murder.

In essence, this means that non-violent, non-sexual and non-serious offenders will serve out the remaining years of their sentences in County prisons.  Because of this legislative change, say local law enforcement officials, Orange County Jails are expected to see an additional 1,460 inmates in the upcoming year.

In Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds’ newest edition of Inside the Jail, we discuss the Impact of Realignment on Orange County Jails including the Santa Ana jail and Theo Lacy jail.

Is there a jail you’d like to know more about? Let us know.  We’ll get you “inside the jail” (or, if you need, we’ll get you out!).

When you think of Orange County Jail perhaps you think of recent headlines about inmate beatings and overcrowding or perhaps you’ve seen explosive television where the OC Sheriff’s Department is working hard to rebuild it’s image only to have the worst happen. In either case, my guess is you don’t think about song and joy.

Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds continues with the fifth in our series on California jails: Inside Orange County James Musick Jail. Musick, Orange County’s Irvine detention facility, gets “rocked” by “Bobby Cash” (aka Bob Millspaugh, singer and acoustic guitar player) on the third Friday of every month. No, you can’t buy tickets, but we’ll take you Inside The Jail.

Is there a jail you’d like to know more about? Let us know. We’ll get you “Inside” (or, if you need we’ll get you out!).

The grand jury discovered that during the assault, guards were texting and watching TV. Chamberlain’s murderers finally went on trial in Santa Ana after four long years. The five men are accused of their participation and planning in Chamberlain’s murder. The defendants are believed to have been a part of a mob that attacked Chamberlain because they thought he was a child molester.

Those inmates on trial for murder are Garret Aguilar, 28, of Anaheim; Stephen Carlstrom, 42, of Anaheim; Jared Petrovich, 27, of Tustin; Miguel Guillen, 48, of Santa Ana; and 24-year-old Raul Villafana of Santa Ana. There were also three men who plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter back in January.

The judge wanted to make very clear that the Orange County jail system is not the one on trial; there are five people who are on trial for first-degree murder. They expect this trial to last about three months.

A total of eight co-defendants were charged with 148 counts. Six of those defendants were inmates at the time the alleged scheme occurred, in custody for other crimes they had committed.

Shirey is a licensed bail bond agent with Plotkin Bail Bonds located in Santa Ana. Reportedly, she worked there with Ernesto Perez, who is not a licensed bail bondsman. According to the Orange County District Attorney, Shirey and Perez worked together soliciting inmates in jail through other inmates.

If found guilty on all charges, Shirey will be looking at a maximum sentence of 23 years in state prison. She was being held on a $20,000 bail, which she was expected to post on Friday afternoon.

Each of the eight defendants were connected to this scheme while the Orange County Sheriff’s Department conducted an 18-month investigation.

“The illegal soliciting of inmates by unscrupulous bail bond agents will not be tolerated in our facilities,” said Sheriff Sandra Hutchens.

During the time period from August 5, 2010 to March 15, Perez is believed to have plotted with the six incarcerated defendants at the Orange County Jail to solicit other inmates and have them contact him to post their bail.

According to prosecutors, the plan worked like this: Perez worked as the main contact for the inmates. They would call him on behalf of the other inmates which they solicited. He would then illegally negotiate with the inmates over the phone. Shirey would also take part in negotiations and visit the inmates in jail in order to get the agreement signed.

Prosecutors do not allege that Shirey was involved in all the same transactions with Perez and vice versa.

A bail bondsman must complete a request form when visiting inmates in jail in order to keep unscrupulous agents from using the jail to illegally recruit clients. Shirey allegedly entered false information onto these forms about how her agency was contacted by the inmates.

Perez is also facing multiple felony counts of identity theft. He is facing a maximum sentence of 72 years and four months in state prison if convicted. The other six co-defendants, ages ranging from 22-50, will be looking at sentence terms between four years and 14 years.

On Thursday, Ernesto Perez, 36, of Burbank, reportedly pleaded not guilty to 16 felony charges of identity theft and 21 felony charges of negotiating bail without a proper license. If Perez is convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of 27 years in a state prison. His bail has been set at $150,000.

California Law strictly prohibits any bail negotiations unless they are conducted by a licensed bail bondsman. Perez, if he had been a licensed bail bondsman, would still be charged for criminal activity for soliciting to inmates, which is also strictly forbidden for protection of the inmates.

California Law also strictly forbids those without a bail bondsman license from arranging bail which is what Ward, Campos and Gatewood are being claimed to have done.

The three inmates were in the Orange County Jail from August 5, 2010 to February 24, 2011 and it is during this time that Perez had been accused of plotting solicitation with them.

Unfortunately, Perez was employed at Plotkin Bail Bonds, but did not ever receive a bail bondsman license.

It is said, that by mid-October, Theo Lacy jail facility will house up to 840 immigrant detainees. Upon agreement, Orange County is a necessary place to hold this inmate type in contract with ICE officials.

The Sheriff’s Department made this deal with the federal officials this past summer, because of a lack of funds. Each bed, referred to as “beds for feds” will cost $118 per day for each detainee. Overall, this agreement will provide $30 million for the Sheriff’s department and will help to further secure jobs throughout the department.

Many of the detainees do have criminal backgrounds or are being held for a variety of reasons, such as waiting for deportation, asylum, travel documents, appeals, and hearings. Those with criminal charges will be sent to Theo Lacy jail facility.

Part of the agreement also includes renovations for the two facilities, Theo Lacy and Musick. This will include three court rooms for the Musick jail facility.

However, bed space for this type of detainee remains at a high demand, consequently after the recent approval of different programs such as Secure Communities, which is a goal for taking in people who are in the United States illegally with a criminal record.