It’s becoming more difficult to keep accused criminals locked up.
It’s bad now, and may only get worse.
Fresno County is getting state inmates. The county was supposed to get 560 inmates in the first year of prison realignment. They got 600 in the first two months.
Some of those who are released early are committing more serious crimes.
39-year-old James Whitaker had been arrested for a series of burglaries. He was released after just a few hours in the Fresno County jail. Four days later, he allegedly held up a bank.
Earlier in the week, we told you about Tino Tufono – Fresno’s Number Two car thief. He’s been in and out of the jail the past few months. He was most recently released November 28th due to overcrowding. A week later, he allegedly shot a man to death.
“We're seeing this uncomfortable trend where people are being released on crimes, they're booked into jail and they're getting out and committing more violent crimes,” said Sgt. Mark Hudson with the Fresno Police Department.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s department runs the jail and has to constantly defend its policies.
“The same people we're arresting, based on their charges, and keeping more serious criminals in jail, are released. It frustrates our detectives and deputies too,” said Fresno County Undersheriff Scott Jones.
The Fresno County jail has dealt with overcrowding for years.
“We have 2,427 jail beds. And we try to put the people in there that have committed the worst crimes in our community,” Jones said.
It’s a statewide problem, made worse by the passage of AB109, the bill signed by the Governor that sends state inmates to county jails instead of state prison to serve their time.
Counties including Fresno, Kings, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange and Shasta County have all been forced to release inmates early because their jails are now full.
It’s a trend that alarms local Assemblywoman Linda Halderman.
“We are now seeing acts done by people who should never have been let out in the first place,” Halderman said.
She adds that the Governor has just canceled the contract to house prisoners out of state. That means about ten thousand additional inmates will be coming back to California to serve their time, putting more pressure on state prisons and county jails.
