L.A. Institutes Controversial Early-Release Program

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is under fire from police and judges because of his controversial plans to counteract budget cuts by releasing as many as 130 inmates per day from the county’s jails.

As many as 47,500, mostly nonviolent offenders were released in the last year, according to reports. The power to release the inmates was granted to Baca's predecessor in 1988 when overcrowding was a major concern. As a result, Los Angeles gained 4,000 new beds, making it one of the largest jail system in the nation.

While jail overcrowding sometimes leads to early release, officials are surprised monetary concerns are resulting in freedom for inmates, some of whom are serving as little as 10 percent of their sentences. Baca, who heads California's largest law enforcement agency, says he is backed into a corner because of the budget cuts. He estimates his yearly budget of $1.7 billion has been cut by as much as $166 million over the last two fiscal years.

The county's jails house 17,500 inmates, about 70 percent of them are awaiting trial. The other 30 percent are adjudicated inmates with a maximum sentence of one year.

The methodology behind the releases considers the seriousness of an inmate's crime and how much space is available. It is reported that drug offenders, vandals, car thieves and embezzlers are released after serving 10 percent of their sentences. Inmates convicted of stalking, spousal abuse and vehicular manslaughter are said to be serving 25 percent of their sentences.

As a result of the early releases, judges and prosecutors are finding new ways to sentence individuals to make sure they are adequately punished for the crimes for which they are convicted.