Jails Barely Miss Deadline on Crowding

San Diego County officials failed to meet a judge’s demand to reduce inmate populations by Tuesday at all county jails but professed “substantial compliance” because only a few jails were over court-ordered caps, and then only by a handful of inmates.

The South Bay men’s jail and Las Colinas women’s facility did not meet the June 30 deadline ordered by El Cajon Superior Court Judge James Malkus, who has been monitoring conditions at the county jails under two lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

South Bay was over its cap by 18 inmates and Las Colinas by seven, according to figures released Tuesday by the Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jails. But four other county jails were technically under their court-ordered caps, and the two hold-out jails should be under their limits by the end of the week, said Jim Painter, the sheriff’s director of detention.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’ve made a really good effort,” Painter said.

At a hearing June 2, Malkus ordered the county to meet a 750-inmate cap at the downtown San Diego jail and to cut inmate totals at five outlying jails.

National surveys consistently rank the county’s jails among the most crowded. The ACLU says crowding leads to violence and inhumane conditions.

Over the past decade, judges have brought the downtown San Diego jail and the five outlying jails--men’s facilities in Vista, El Cajon, South Bay and Descanso plus the women’s Las Colinas jail in Santee--under population caps. Two newer jails, the Las Colinas men’s facility and a medium-security jail at East Mesa, have not been brought before the court.

Racing to meet the June 30 deadline, sheriff’s officials resumed temporary control last week of the Descanso jail, which mostly had been holding migrants detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The Descanso facility held 169 county inmates and 98 INS detainees Tuesday, a total of 267, well below the cap of 440. More inmates will be moved there shortly, Painter said Tuesday.

The count Tuesday at the South Bay jail was 391, 18 over the cap of 373. The Las Colinas women’s facility held 485 inmates, 7 over the limit of 478.

The downtown San Diego jail was at 729, 21 under the limit. The El Cajon jail held 237, 14 under the limit of 251. The Vista jail held 885, 52 under a cap of 937--and even one inmate under the revised cap of 886, which Malkus has ordered to take effect today.

However, the Vista jail did not have beds Tuesday for 31 men, who slept on the floor. Painter said that was a temporary glitch. ACLU attorney Betty Wheeler said Tuesday night it had better be temporary.

“We expect to see them in full compliance at every jail,” Wheeler said. “And we won’t tolerate floor sleepers at all. It’s unacceptable.”

Malkus has set the next court hearing in the case for July 15. Wheeler said ACLU attorneys planned to meet today to discuss seeking an earlier hearing if “full compliance” is not met.