TACKLING JAIL OVERCROWDING

Re "Sheriff Toughens the Rules on Early Release of Inmates"

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's objection to early
releases from the county's overstuffed jail system draws attention
from a problem of his own making. Sheriff Lee Baca (of whom I am no
fan) did not participate in the plea bargain that sentenced convicted
robber Mario Moreno to county jail for possessing a sawed-off
shotgun, a crime that qualifies for state prison time.

In a system so overburdened that it has become riddled with makeshift
safety valves, dangerous criminals get their most significant "break"
at the time of sentencing, inevitably transforming local jails into
volatile urban penal colonies. Tweaking the output so that a select
few will do nine months instead of three will do nothing more than
provide an illusion of safety and further delay the fundamental
corrections that the criminal justice system desperately needs.

JAY WACHTEL

Lecturer

Division of Politics, Justice and Administration

Cal State Fullerton