Study of Sheriff’s Jail-Time Policy Ordered
County supervisors directed lawyers Tuesday to study the constitutionality of a Sheriff’s Department policy calling for people arrested in some cities to spend more time in jail than others who commit the same crimes elsewhere.
To avoid jail overcrowding, Sheriff Lee Baca has ordered the early release of more than 150,000 inmates since 2002.
The Times reported Monday that those arrested on suspicion of prostitution in Compton and of being members of a certain gang must serve full sentences, while others arrested for the same crimes are often released after serving less than 10% of their sentences.
The Sheriff’s Department has held women in jail for 2 1/2 times longer than men because it had more space for female prisoners.
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