Gates Challenged on Jail Expansion

I had no idea the sheriff’s office was such a political position. How else would you explain Sheriff Brad Gates’ selective use of data and intentional misrepresentations in his Oct. 6 letter?

Gates points out that of the 882 criminals committing new crimes after they were released early because of jail overcrowding, 25 committed crimes in Lake Forest and Irvine. What Gates does not mention is how many of those 882 criminals committed crimes in the proximity of the location where they were released. How many crimes would have occurred in Lake Forest and Irvine if the majority of releases were from the Musick facility? Gates intentionally left out the dark side of the statistics in order to sway opinion.

Gates also does not address what makes the Musick facility better than all of the other alternatives. The only advantage it provides is that the land is already owned by the county. The existing jail will be completely torn down and a new jail erected. This is hardly the expedient or economic way to ease jail overcrowding. Putting a jail on expensive land that is only a two-minute run from the nearest neighborhood is not the best use for that site.

The funds that would be used in this effort are better spent on crime prevention measures and on building jails that are not located in the heart of family neighborhoods. I agree with Gates that we should get the facts from the environmental impact report. But once we have the facts, we should not twist them to agree with our predispositions.

GREG WOOKEY

Lake Forest