California Jail Realignment Dips Prisoner Population

Since the Oct. 1 implementation of the California jail realignment program, reportedly approximately 8,000 fewer incarcerates are being housed in California prisons.

Many jails, however, are still detaining more than twice the capacity of inmates they were designed for.  At current, California is housing approximately 135,000 inmates.  Although this is a marked reduction from the 173,000 inmates being detained in 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court said that still-overcrowded conditions are inhibiting prisoners from receiving adequate and basic health care.

As a means of reducing state prison populations non-violent, non-serious and non-sexual offenders have begun being transferred from state to county facilities.  This has prompted county law enforcement officials to begin releasing some less-serious offending inmates earlier than originally anticipated. Sheriffs officials from throughout the state, including at the Los Angeles County Jail. LA Sheriff Lee Baca has said they are further considering other methodologies of keeping county prison populations under control, including early release with ankle-GPS bracelet monitoring and in some cases, house arrest programs.

In some counties, parolees who have been found to have violated the terms of their release are not being returned to custody.  Because of the influx of prisoners from state facility, officials said, there just “isn’t enough room at the inn” to accommodate everyone.

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