LA County Jails Could Soon Be Out Of Room

California’s recent prison reliagnment program, which shifted a number of inmates from state to county jail facilities, is continuing to cause strain to local law enforcement agencies.  Los Angeles County Sheriffs officials say that because as many as 8,000 offenders who would have normally been sent to state prisons now becoming the responsibility of the county, that the Los Angeles County Jails system could run out of room as soon as next month.

The L.A. Times has reported that although the Sheriff’s Department has secured funding to open an additional 1,800 beds, that this is “far below the number needed to accomidate the tide of state prisoners” coming their way.  Sheriff Lee Baca is concerned that this could lead to additional offenders being prematurely released, which could potentially lead to increased crime rates.   District Attorney Steve Cooley further believes that inmates released with electronic monitoring devices could potentially attempt to intimidate witnesses.

“There [are] going to be a tremendous number of poeple that should be in jail and will not be incarcerated,” he said, noting that the situation could become quite repetative in upcoming weeks and months.

Early release has become commonplace within the County’s jail system in recent years, with numerous persons being let out of jail months, if not years, before their sentences are up.  Lindsay Lohan recently made national news headlines after serving only 5 hours of a 30-day sentence.

Unfortunately, Cooley said, there is “just no more room at the inn”.

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