Budget Sends Influx Of Inmates To County Jails

The new budget that Governor Jerry Brown signed Thursday will send thousands of low level inmates to county jails instead of state prisons.

The budget will provide about $5 billion to help county jails pay for the plan.

San Francisco's sheriff Michael Hennessey said he's luckier than most because his county jails have about 300 spare beds to accommodate incoming offenders.

But, that's about to change.

“We currently are under capacity but we will be at, or over capacity in approximately 90 days after realignment goes into effect," said San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey.

Realignment aims to save the state $400 million a year by pushing county jails to pack in thousands of non-violent, low level offenders instead of sending them to overcrowded state prisons.

Oscar Hidalgo of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said jailing these inmates in state penitentiaries is a strain on the system and the inmates are better served at the local level serving local incarceration time.

San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey said 80 percent of the people usually sent to state prison will instead stay in his jails.

"It's a sloughing off of state responsibilities onto the counties." he added.

Hennessey said state aid won't come close to covering the costs of reopening and running an old San Bruno Jail to accommodate the influx of inmates.

"We will have to reopen the closed jail probably in spring 2012 and the annual cost is $7 to $12 million a year,” Hennessey said.

California prisons are at 187 percent capacity, and state officials said keeping some inmates in local jails will help lower the recidivism rate.

"It reserves the prison system for the longer term, the more serious offender which we can handle very well,” Hidalgo said.

The realignment program only affects incoming, low-level, non-violent offenders who are convicted after Oct. 1.