"L.A. County jails may be out of room next month" (which could really help Conrad Murray)

The title of this post is the headline of this new piece from the Los Angeles Times, which gets started this way:

Los Angeles County's jails could run out of space as early as next month because of an influx of state prisoners, prompting officials to consider releasing potentially thousands of inmates awaiting trial.

The state's new prison law, which establishes a practice known as realignment, is expected to send as many as 8,000 offenders who would normally go to state prisons into the L.A. County Jail system in the next year.

Currently, defendants awaiting trial account for 70% of the jail population, but Sheriff Lee Baca said that might need to drop to 50%.  The department is studying a major expansion of its electronic monitoring and home detention programs to keep track of inmates who are released.

Baca said the department is also developing a new risk-assessment system designed to better identify which inmates are the best candidates to leave the jails.  Additionally, the department is looking at ways to channel more offenders into education and substance abuse programs rather than jail.

An internal report produced by the L.A. County district attorney's office and obtained by The Times estimated that the county jails would be full by the end of the year.  The Sheriff's Department has the funding to open only an additional 1,800 beds, far below the number needed to accommodate the tide of state prisoners coming its way, the report said.

The realignment plan, developed to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court decision on overcrowding in the state prison system, has generated dire warnings from local police and prosecutors who fear the shift will place more offenders on the streets and increase crime. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has predicted that the city could see a 3% increase in crime because of realignment.

There is special concern about releasing more defendants before trial, with prosecutors fearing that some might not show up in court.  Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said he also worries that inmates on electronic monitors could intimidate witnesses or take other actions to disrupt their trials.

Cooley used the conviction of Michael Jackson's personal physician for involuntary manslaughter to highlight the risks realignment brings.  Conrad Murray faces up to four years in prison.  But under the realignment law, he would spend that sentence in a county jail rather than a state prison.  That's because under the law, involuntary manslaughter as well as crimes such as drug offenses and identity theft no longer require state prison time.

Cooley said that if the County Jail system reaches capacity, Murray could be a candidate for early release.  "There is going to be a tremendous number of people that should be in jail and will not be incarcerated," he said. "This is the kind of story that will play out over and over again."

Yikes, Conrad Murray might be back on the California streets sooner because of L.A. jail overcrowding?!?!  Oh my, goodness! Gracious land sakes alive!   Sound the alarms, get your kids inside right away, and be extra sure to lock-down all of your propofol!!  We all should start worrying that Murray could be a threat all by himself to cause the 3% increase in crime being predicted by the LA police chief.

Obviously, my tongue was planted firmly in my cheek when writing the prior paragraph.  Though there may be lots of reasons we might think it unjust if Conrad Murray ultimately ends up getting a significant sentencing windfall because of prison and jail overcrowding in California, I do not think many folks should be deeply worried about Murray (or other similar persons who get an early release from California incarceration) going on a post-release crime spree.  Of course, other persons who get early release in California because the jails have no more room may be much more of a threat to public safety, but crime increases may be as much the result of a local officials having a poor plan for who gets early release rather that the fact that Californians have been unwilling to spend a lot more money to construct a lot more prisons and jails.