Orange County Jails Out of Room – Out of Money

California County Jails Face Overcrowding from Realignment

During the first month after the new jail realignment plan was set in place, Orange County jails have received nearly double the number of inmates that was expected. This is raising concerns with county officials that there may soon be no empty beds.

The offenders being sent to county jails are those not considered violent and non-sex offenders. Orange County was told to expect about 143 additional inmates to its correctional system due to the realignment. In actuality, the county booked an additional 292 inmates last month.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said, “That’s a concern now. This was supposed to be a slow month, and it’s not. My concern is how many of those are we going to have to keep in custody, and are we going to have enough room…and enough money to deal with them.”

Declining crime rates over the past few years have kept an increased population from being a major issue in Orange County. However, dwindling funds have led the county to rent the extra room to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Having that extra space taken up by state prisoners will cause the county to cancel all or some of those contracts.

Other California counties with large populations, such as Riverside and Los Angeles, have also received more than the expected number of additional inmates.

Orange County is applying to the state for funds, which will allow for the expansion of the James A. Musick Facility, adding another 500 beds. Efforts are also being made to expand the other jails in the county, with the possibility of using one as a maximum-security facility.

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