O.C. Jails Less Crowded, but There’s a Catch

SANTA ANA — A new state report finds that Orange County jails are less overcrowded than in past years, but officials say the price for the improvement is the early release of thousands of criminals each year.

Orange County sheriff’s officials were heartened by the glowing ratings they received in the report, but they conceded Wednesday that the good news is tainted by the fact that many inmates serve only half their sentence.

“What we’ve done is transformed the problem inside the jail into a problem outside the jail,” said Lt. Ron Wilkerson. Sheriff’s officials cite the county’s population growth in recent decades and a 1978 federal court order capping jail populations as the causes of an ongoing problem with jail crowding. Also, the advent of the three-strikes law has created a logjam of criminals in the jail who are awaiting trial, officials said.

The solution in recent years has been a limited jail expansion and a policy of letting criminals go before they have completed their sentences.

Last year, 33,000 Orange County inmates were released early. Among the inmates who walked out early due to crowding were 64 sex offenders, 1,257 drunk drivers and 2,031 drug offenders, according to Assistant Sheriff Jerry Krans.

“We’re catching them, but we can’t keep them,” Krans said. “These are not just petty thieves walking out the door. It’s disheartening for us. I don’t think the public really realizes who’s out there.”

Still, Krans said he was pleased by the state Board of Corrections report issued this week that repeatedly cited “excellent” management and programs at the county jail facilities.

“It’s nice for [jail managers and employees] to be recognized for doing the best we can under the limited resources,” he said. “But we need more beds.”

The report was written by inspectors who spent three days at the jails in April, reviewing the policies and procedures, interviewing staff and inspecting the facility itself. All five jails inspected were found to be in compliance with minimum standards.

The report states that reduced crowding in the men’s central jail has led to “less tension among the inmate population.”

At the adjacent Intake/Release Center, inmates are packed densely, but not to the level seen in past years, the report states.

“It remains overcrowded but no inmates are required to sleep on mattresses on the floor,” the report states. “A bunk remains available to all persons incarcerated. Other than overcrowding . . . no deficiencies relative to standards were observed. Management appears excellent.”

The inspectors visited the Intake/Release Center, the men’s central jail and the women’s jail--which are all clustered together in the Civic Center area of Santa Ana--along with the Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange and the James A. Musick Branch Jail near Lake Forest.

Sheriff’s officials met Wednesday afternoon in their continuing effort to pull together the financing for a planned expansion of the Theo Lacy Branch Jail. The expansion would cost between $80 million and $100 million and bump the top capacity up to 2,986 beds--an increase of about 1,400 spots.

Krans said as much as $15 million in federal funds may come available this year toward that expansion. “We’ll get in line with everybody else,” he said.

A proposed expansion of the James A. Musick Branch Jail has been blocked by a lawsuit filed by the cities of Lake Forest and Irvine. Preliminary hearings in the case are scheduled in June.

A statewide bond initiative that would have provided $700 million for jail construction and renovation was soundly defeated last November in Orange County and statewide. For Orange County, the bond issue would have meant an estimated $70 million for jail expansion.