Beefing Up Prison Security : April 30 jailbreak points to problems caused by budget cutting, ‘three strikes’ law

The concerns of Castaic residents who met recently over security at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho deserve prompt attention. But short-term fixes will do nothing to erase the underlying cause of trouble at the sprawling jail complex.

Pitchess, once an honor farm for low-risk inmates, has become a crowded facility for dangerous criminals awaiting imprisonment and others facing trials. The well-planned April 30 escape of 14 inmates included convicted and accused killers. Two still at large have been convicted of carjacking and manslaughter.

The Sheriff’s Department might well consider residents’ suggestion for a Neighborhood Watch “telephone tree” to warn when escapes happen. Obviously the authorities must improve procedures where possible while pressing for funds to improve physical security. After the escapes, county supervisors voted to seek $200,000 for long-sought razor wire, alarms and video cameras.

The deeper problems go beyond human carelessness and a shortage of monitoring equipment.

The maximum-security facility from which the men escaped was originally designed for 700 men but now has a maximum capacity of 1,600, a feat achieved by replacing beds with stacked bunks. Figures are similar for the Pitchess complex and county jails overall.

Part of the imbalance results from budget cutting that has slowed the processing of convicted criminals going to state prisons. Part results from the too-sweeping “three strikes” law, which requires sentences with life maximums for nonviolent as well as violent felonies. “Three strikes” jams the legal system and creates a powerful incentive to escape.

Pitchess, meanwhile, continues to house accused murderers out of necessity, despite a 1985 post-escape promise to change the practice. Thus a critical mass of desperate men doing long stretches in jail have time to plan and wait for inevitable opportunities.

Racial hostility among the crowded prisoners leads to violent and distracting disturbances. The badly repaired hole through which the 14 climbed from their cell apparently was originally made during one of the jail’s regular brawls. And a stack of bunks became a ladder to freedom.

Meanwhile, the law against attempting to escape typically adds only a few months to the time served--a laughable threat to someone facing life behind bars.

There have been four maximum-security escapes at Pitchess. When they are viewed in context, it is remarkable that there have not been more--yet. Before the situation worsens at Pitchess, and at other jails and prisons, those in charge should begin treating the system as a whole, whose parts are thoroughly--and dangerously--interrelated.