Faced with a jail perpetually near capacity, Placer County on Tuesday authorized its top law enforcement officers to expand mandatory home detention and electronic monitoring to ease overcrowding and cut the number of inmates given early freedom.
The move, on a unanimous voted by the county Board of Supervisors, came after the county failed to win a share of state funding aimed at improving rehabilitation programs and reducing the early release of tens of thousands of inmates in county jails.
"The bottom line is the criminal justice system is based on accountability and consequences," Malim said.
Savvy inmates have declined to take part in voluntary alternative sentencing programs because they know that overcrowded conditions usually means they may serve a mere fraction of their sentences before being released, officials said.
Last year, the county released 2,100 inmates early – mostly petty thieves, drunken drivers and other nonviolent criminals – with an average of 16 days left on their sentences, said Sheriff's Capt. George Malim, the county's corrections division commander.
The Sheriff's Department books an average of 31 arrests every day at its Main Jail – which means an equal number of existing inmates need to be released to accommodate the fresh arrests, according to a memo presented Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors.
"By allowing authorities to assign inmates to appropriate methods of serving their sentences, these new provisions have the potential to eliminate the necessity to release inmates early, thereby increasing their personal accountability and enhancing public safety," the memo said.
Placer County's Main Jail and minimum security facilities have a capacity to hold 646 inmates, and the county – like many others – is under court order to release inmates whenever its jails exceed 90 percent of capacity.
Placer County is hardly alone in its overcrowding problems.
El Dorado County also failed to get jail construction funds under Assembly Bill 900, which was signed into law last year.
"We have an overcrowding problem right now," said Sgt. Bryan Golmitz, the spokesman for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department. He could not immediately say what action his department might take to address its overcrowding.
In Placer County, plans are under way to build another jail that would provide as many as 400 more new beds.
Sacramento and Yolo counties did not apply for the jail construction funds.
Call The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan, (916) 321-1067.
