Jury Report Praises Supervisors for Efforts to Ease Jail Crowding

In a report notable for the mildness of its language and for an absence of specific numbers, the Orange County Grand Jury praised the Board of Supervisors on Monday for its efforts to solve jail overcrowding.

The jury did report that “the jail overcrowding problem is increasing in severity,” and it said the steps taken so far will not permanently resolve overcrowding in the main men’s jail in downtown Santa Ana.

But the panel dropped the phrase “crisis point” that it had used in reference to the jail problem in March. And it did not repeat its assertion made in a March letter to supervisors that the county needed 300 maximum-security jail beds immediately.

Bob Palmer, a member of the jury’s criminal justice committee, which issued the report, said the report would not be officially made public until today. He declined to comment on it.

Problem Not New

The grand jury noted that jail overcrowding has been a problem in the county for at least 10 years and is a common problem throughout the country. The problem in Orange County increased two years ago, when a federal judge found the supervisors and Sheriff Brad Gates in contempt of court for not heeding a 1978 order by the judge to end overcrowding in the main men’s jail.

“Since the 1986-87 Orange County Grand Jury began the study of overcrowding in the main jail, the Board of Supervisors and the sheriff have made positive efforts to address this problem,” the jury said.

“Some of our existing facilities have been improved. Site selections are in progress for two new jails, and the Intake-Release Center (IRC) is scheduled to be operational in July, 1987.”

The grand jury said the supervisors generally “responded appropriately when good information and communication were executed between the board and the sheriff.” But the panel also said that “evidence indicates that the free flow of information has not always existed.”

Series of Recommendations

The grand jury recommended that the supervisors establish a permanent corrections advisory committee and that it should:

- Follow the recommendations of the supervisors’ special consultant on the jail, Lawrence G. Grossman, on modifications to the system of classifying inmates, a step that would free beds in the main jail by transferring some inmates to branch jails.

- Plan and develop sobering-up stations. Because of a lack of space, public drunks who are not a threat to themselves or others are not booked into the main jail.

- Direct the county administrative officer to develop a comprehensive master plan detailing the needs for jail beds, site selection, possible sources of money to build and operate jails, and the design and construction of the facilities.

- Begin a program to educate the public about the need for jails and the costs of building them in a bid to fight public opposition to specific jail sites.

In a separate report, the jury said county health officials are aware that there is a growing risk of acquired immune deficiency syndrome spreading in jails and recommended that jail staff, health officials, the supervisors and the sheriff develop an official policy on how to prevent the spread of AIDS in jails.