ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Imprisoned by Bad Policies

It’s a long shot, but perhaps a new report on Orange County jails will help get the county off the dime on the important issue of jail overcrowding. The report by an Orange County League of California Cities “super-committee” says that overcrowding has brought the county to the point where “the entire law enforcement (and) criminal justice system is weakened.” That can’t go on without grave consequences.

Currently, the county houses 4,600 prisoners in five jails--1,300 over capacity. The county has added about 2,100 jail beds since 1985. But plans for a badly needed new jail in Gypsum Canyon near the Anaheim Hills were shelved two years ago after voters refused to approve a half-cent sales tax to finance it. Meanwhile, the shortfall in jail beds grows. By 2006, it is expected to top 5,200.

There is one positive note: Some cities, including Anaheim and Santa Ana, are increasing jail capacity. They are trying to avoid paying the county a $150-per-prisoner booking fee imposed on cities as part of the state budget agreement in 1991. However, these beds will not be enough to stem the tide of offenders who are released immediately because there is no room for them in jail.

The League of Cities’ jails report proposes several things. One is to create taxing districts, similar to library or redevelopment districts, to collect money for the construction and operation of jails. Creation of such districts would require a majority vote for approval, and two-thirds if a significant number of voters in a proposed district were to lodge a formal protest against formation of such a district.

However, voters two years ago failed to approve a countywide half-cent sales tax for jails--a sign that jails do not enjoy wide support. Since then, the Board of Supervisors has done little to help create the political will for solving the jails crisis. For example, new board Chairman Harriett M. Wieder, who had strongly supported a Gypsum Canyon site, made only the barest mention of the jails crisis in her recent state-of-the-county speech. Nor have the other four supervisors made it a priority.

Among other ideas in the jails report were to add detoxification centers and expand alternative sentencing programs. These are good ideas, but costly.

At the very least, the League of Cities’ work on jails has involved many civic-minded people in an issue of great importance to the county. What remains to be seen is whether the report is a plan of action, or a dust-gatherer.