35 County Inmates Let Go by Mistake Since ’95

Since January 1995, the Sheriff’s Department has mistakenly released 16 inmates because court paperwork ordering them held behind bars was not processed by sheriff’s clerks until after the prisoners had been let out the door of the Los Angeles County Jail.

At least seven other inmates, in jail on charges ranging from robbery to elder abuse, were let go erroneously because sheriff’s clerks inputed incorrect information into the jail’s antiquated computer system.

In total, 35 Los Angeles County inmates have been mistakenly released in the last 22 months, according to the first accounting by the Sheriff’s Department of the size and scope of the problem.

In a report issued Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Department, under fire for mistakenly releasing five homicide inmates since mid-1995, provided details of the full range of mistaken releases during the last two years. Sheriff’s officials released the information after repeated requests by The Times.

The 35 freed inmates were being held on a wide assortment of charges--including theft, robbery, burglary and soliciting prostitutes. 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.”

So far, 16 of the 35 prisoners mistakenly freed since the start of 1995 have been recaptured, King said.

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.

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

“It’s shocking and unconscionable,” said Antonovich. “There is a serious glitch in the system that releases criminals prior to their adjudication. It needed 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 currently 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 inputing 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.

According to the report issued Wednesday, those erroneously released include:

* At least 10 inmates being detained for violent crimes, including the five on homicide charges and others in jail for crimes including spousal abuse and robbery. One inmate, being held on an assault-with-a-deadly-weapon charge, 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 inputed 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 custody of the county’s Mental Health Department. Sheriff’s officials said the inmate turned himself in to mental health officials the next day.

* Four inmates being held on drug charges, including possession and sale of narcotics.