Paperwork, Clerical Errors Cited in Release of Inmates

In the first detailed report on all 35 inmates who have mistakenly slipped out of custody since January 1995, Sheriff’s Department officials Wednesday disclosed that they have accidentally let go prisoners accused of crimes ranging from burglary to homicide, child molestation to petty theft.

Sixteen of the inmates were mistakenly released because court paperwork ordering them held behind bars was not processed by sheriff’s clerks until after they had been let out the door of the Los Angeles County Jail.

At least seven other inmates were let go erroneously because sheriff’s clerks input incorrect information into the jail’s antiquated computer system.

In the report issued Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Department, under fire for mistakenly releasing five homicide inmates since mid-1995, disclosed that 19 of the prisoners freed erroneously remain at large. Among those on the lam include inmates charged with homicide, spousal abuse and robbery.

Sheriff’s officials released the information after repeated requests by The Times.

Although the freed inmates were charged with a wide variety of crimes, most of the mistakes fell into two distinct categories--slow processing of cumbersome paperwork and human errors in updating records in the computer system.

“We wish we had them all in custody,” said Chief Barry King, who oversees the sheriff’s custody division. “This is a personal embarrassment to me as it is to the entire department. We would like, with all our hearts, to have kept all of them in jail. We take an erroneous release for a misdemeanor as seriously as a murder suspect.”

According to the report, those erroneously released include:

* At least 10 inmates being detained for violent crimes. One inmate, being held on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, was let go when a clerk updated the computer system incorrectly. The inmate was put back behind bars after he showed up in court for his next hearing. Another inmate, in custody for elder abuse, was released after a clerk input inaccurate information into the jail computer.

* Five inmates being held on grand theft charges. One was let go last month when a clerk overlooked sentencing information and instead placed the inmate in a work release program. He has been recaptured. Another was released in April instead of being placed in the custody of the county’s Mental Health Department. Sheriff’s officials said the inmate turned himself in to mental health officials the next day. Yet another inmate was released in September 1995 because of a fingerprint comparison error at the jail.

* Four inmates being held on drug charges, including possession and sale of narcotics. One inmate accused of selling drugs was released when a jail clerk failed to notice that some of the papers attached to his booking slip belonged to another suspect.

* Three inmates being held on burglary charges. In one case, a burglary suspect was freed when a clerk misread a court clerk’s instructions. He has been recaptured.

The report did not provide information on how many of the mistakenly released prisoners were in jail awaiting trial and how many were serving jail sentences after having been convicted of crimes.

Earlier this week, members of the Board of Supervisors--angry over the release of the five homicide inmates--lambasted the Sheriff’s Department for failing to more speedily link its inmate tracking system with county courthouse computers.

On Wednesday, Supervisor Mike Antonovich said that he was troubled to learn that there are far more mistaken releases than he had been aware of.

“It’s shocking and unconscionable,” Antonovich said. “There is a serious glitch in the system that releases criminals prior to their adjudication. It needs to be taken care of immediately.”

Sheriff’s officials say they intend to link new computers in the jail’s Inmate Reception Center with computers being installed in the county’s Superior and Municipal courtrooms.

Such action could eliminate the sluggish processing of court papers ordering prisoners to remain in custody. But less clear is whether an updated tracking system would mitigate inputting errors in a jail system that processes more than 2,000 prisoners a day.

“No process that human beings are involved in is ever going to be perfect,” King said. “But we are hopeful that by moving to a paperless process, we’ll be able to solve a lot of the problems.”

Sheriff’s officials have been ordered by the Board of Supervisors to present plans for upgrading the inmate tracking system at next week’s board meeting.

Among the 16 inmates mistakenly released before all the court paperwork was processed was homicide suspect Gregory Stinson.

Stinson was let go two weeks ago after murder charges against him were dismissed in Superior Court but were immediately refiled in Municipal Court.

Word of the updated filing arrived at the document center four hours after the Superior Court directive. A clerk failed to type in the information on the Municipal Court order that would have halted Stinson’s release.

By the time jail officials realized what had happened, Stinson was gone. He remains at large, as do three of the other homicide inmates mistakenly freed.

“It’s frustrating,” King said. “When an inmate appears in several courts, a lot of times the paperwork arrives at the jail at different times.

“As we move to a computerized system, at the end of the day we’ll have all those pieces of paper electronically in the system.”