California’s state prisons continue to struggle to meet a court-imposed inmate population cap at the same time that Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to ease overcrowding has caused an increase in county jail populations.
This is happening despite the fact that arrests are down, reports the Stockton Record.
Brown’s realignment plan was designed to reduce the state prison population and has shifted the responsibility for certain low-level felony offenders to county jail systems.
One of the stress factors placed on local jails is the need for higher security.
As the low-level convicted felon population increases in jails, so does the need for more secure perimeters. San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore is currently seeking funds to replace the jail’s aging Honor Farm security measures.
San Joaquin’s County supervisors have approved a proposal seeking $40 million to address the issue.
Traditionally, jails were designed to house offenders while they awaited court hearings or served sentences that were a year or less.
In San Joaquin County, felony offenders serving sentences averaging about three years in length are contributing to the rise in jail population. AB109 is largely responsible for those convicted of felonies spending more time in jail, the Stockton Record reports. In the past, lower-level offenders convicted of felonies would be sent to prison to serve their time. However, in 2011, AB109 eliminated returning some parolees to prison and shifted the burden onto county jails.
The Stockton Record report noted that the San Joaquin County jail population has increased to a daily average of nearly 400 inmates.
An additional factor, those convicted of misdemeanors were more likely to receive an early release into the community as a result of the court-mandated population cap.
According to the Record, the San Joaquin County sheriff is concerned that these felony offenders pose a risk to public safety. They are housed in a facility that was not designed to contain violent or serious offenders, so the sheriff worries about the possibility of escape. Last year, 10 inmates walked away from the Honor Farm.
Critics of upgrading the Honor Farm facility prefer that more be spent on preparing prisoners for reentry into society.
The Stockton Record concluded that AB109-sentenced prisoners and those serving prison parole violations need facilities that include more secure perimeters.