Local News in Brief : Countywide : Report Says Jail Plan Needs No Further Study

County officials shrugged off objections to the expansion of the Theo Lacy branch jail in Orange, saying in a report released Friday there is no need for further environmental studies.

The city, nearby businesses, UCI Medical Center and the Orangewood home for abused children have all registered objections to the plans to expand the jail.

In an attempt to ease jail overcrowding, county officials earlier this year proposed putting four new buildings at the Lacy site, which would add 1,016 beds to what is now a 720-inmate facility.

Under the plan, maximum-security inmates would, for the first time, be housed at Theo Lacy. All women offenders, including those classified as maximum security, would be transferred from the women’s jail in downtown Santa Ana to Lacy. The main women’s jail would then house male inmates.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the planned expansion at its meeting Monday. If it approves the proposal, the matter goes to the Board of Supervisors for a final decision.