Sybil Brand Institute

* I would like to respond to the letter regarding the release of female prisoners from the Sybil Brand Institute for Women (Dec. 21).

Sybil Brand Institute does care about the women in its custody; and this concern continues when those women are released from confinement, whether it is pursuant to a court order or at the completion of their sentence. Those inmates who are released by order of the court are released in the afternoon or evening, and always before midnight. Those who are released at the completion of their sentence are released each morning after breakfast.

Our release policy takes into consideration that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a bus stop directly in front of the facility, which runs daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. Sybil Brand Institute provides free bus tokens to any inmate upon request. Taxi service is available 24 hours each day, and telephones are located in the release area and front-gate area of the institute. The gate is manned 24 hours each day by deputy personnel, who will assist released inmates as needed. As an additional measure of security, no inmates are released between midnight and 6 a.m., unless they have someone to pick them up.

For those inmates who have an impending release, and are in need of assistance, we have support groups such as Friends Outside, Mary Magdalene Project and the multidenominational chaplain’s office, which assist in providing transportation or locating overnight housing.

SHERIFF SHERMAN BLOCK

Los Angeles County