ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Easing Jail Jitters
The city of Orange and the county of Orange were smart to talk rather than fight over the proposed expansion of the Theo Lacy Branch Jail. Suing each other would have done no one any good.
The county long has faced jail overcrowding problems: Sixteen years ago a federal judge ordered the county to improve conditions behind bars.
Jails designed for 3,200 inmates hold nearly 5,000. As a partial solution, county officials have proposed increasing the number of beds in the Lacy jail, situated in Orange, from 1,326. One plan called for Lacy to have 4,480 beds in an emergency, which would be too many.
After fierce objections from Orange, its city manager and County Supervisor William G. Steiner began discussing a more reasonable number. Both said they were willing to compromise to settle the issue out of court. That was sensible; spending money on a court fight would be foolish and would delay a jail expansion at a time of immediate need.
To make space for those accused of serious crimes, the sheriff has been forced to let those charged with lesser offenses leave jail early. That means more hardened criminals in Lacy. Packing tougher criminals tightly together increases the chances for violence among inmates, and one day earlier this month there were two separate fights in Lacy between Latino and African American inmates.
The county must move quickly to add more beds to existing jails. The willingness of the city of Orange to help out is welcome.
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