Jail Makes Room for More

For the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, it’s 384 down, 4,616 to go.

The first major expansion of the county’s overcrowded jail system since the 1994 bankruptcy was unveiled Friday with a brand-new building at Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange.

The modest increase in the number of beds fills only a small portion of the need, estimated at 5,000 more beds over the next 10 years. But officials hailed the new facilities as the first step in solving the space crunch.

“We are on our way, but it is a slow and expensive process,” Assistant Sheriff John “Rocky” Hewitt said.

Orange County jails have been in a state of arrested development. The general population has nearly doubled since 1970, but jail capacity has not kept up with the growth. Last year, the Board of Supervisors released a study showing the jail system, built to house 3,821 inmates, had an average of 5,500 on any given day.

The county’s jail system is the sixth largest in the nation and one of the most overcrowded. To deal with the space squeeze, the county regularly releases inmates before their terms are completed.

The county is considering different options to alleviate the problem, including building a new jail east of Orange, expanding the James A. Musick Branch Jail near Irvine and even transferring some inmates to a privately run facility in the Mojave Desert.

The first two proposals have met with opposition by nearby residents. Transferring inmates to a for-profit detention facility must still clear legal and cost hurdles.

“All of those options are still open,” Hewitt said. “But time is running out.”

Sheriff Mike Carona has set a March deadline to come up with a final plan. Hewitt said Carona has scaled back the initial plan to expand Musick from 7,500 additional beds to 5,100.

“And that may decrease even more if we find a suitable location for a new jail,” he said.

Friday’s unveiling, the first major public works project since the bankruptcy, represented phase one in Theo Lacy’s $20-million expansion plan. Another building under construction is expected to be completed within the next one to two years. It will house another 384 inmates and also include a 125-bed medical facility.

Two more buildings are tentatively planned, but no funding has been secured. In the race to match supply to demand, money is a big hurdle, Hewitt said.

County officials have proposed using some of the $912 million Orange County will receive as part of the national tobacco settlement to fund new jail construction. But health care advocates are crying foul, saying the money should be used to improve care for the poor.

Earlier this week, residents spoke out at a public hearing, urging that money awarded for harm done to public health should be spent on improving care for all county residents.

Sheriff’s officials, however, say jail construction needs to remain a top priority.

“This is a health care issue,” Hewitt said. “Fifteen percent of our jail capacity is filled by the mentally ill; 20% are addicted to drugs and alcohol.”

Sheriff’s deputies on Friday guided reporters through the new facilities, where the smell of fresh paint still emanated from the white and aquamarine walls.

“We want soothing colors,” Lt. Jay LeFlore said. “It tends to calm the inmates down.”

The building is designed in a modern octagonal format called a module. Cells, holding two inmates each, are separated into sections all facing a control booth manned by a deputy.

To decrease the need to transport inmates, the module is “self-contained” with a nursing station, a classroom and recreational areas.

Most services are brought to the inmates, including meals and reading materials.

“Danielle Steele is pretty popular,” Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Stirling said. “If you’re locked away with 31 other guys, you need to have some escape.”

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The Cellblock at Orange

In the largest expansion to the jail system in two decades, Orange County Sheriff’s officials unveiled Friday a 384-bed, state-of-the-art addition to Theo Lacy Facility in Orange.

New addition opens in December

Future expansion

Proposed expansion

Visitors area

Prisoner intake center

Support building

Jail services

Medium security

Minimum security

Yard

City Drive

Source: Orange County Sheriff’s Dept.

Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD / Los Angeles Times