Eastern Sierra News
Written by Benett Kessler Monday, 01 February 2010 12:23
Sheriff Lutze said that "The Governor's budget proposal dumps inmates from overcrowded prisons into overcrowded jails with no solution contemplated." The Sheriff said that in addition to state prison inmates dumped into county jails, an assembly bill which was supposed to help increase local jail capacity is bogged down in bureaucratic red tape.
Last month a measure took effect which increased sentencing credit for jail inmates and requires parole violators to face new prosecution and increased time in county jail rather than returning to state prison. Last February, the State switched funding sources for many local law enforcement programs from the general fund to vehicle license fees. Sheriff Lutze said those fees have come in 27% under budget projections.
Lutze said the State is "putting their debt on the backs of the citizens and taxpayers of Inyo County without any type of reimbursement." The Sheriff said the budget situation may cause his department to reconsider some services.
This statement amounts to a heads up to the local population about problems in law enforcement and a plea to the Governor to carefully weigh what Sheriff Lutze calls "fiscal benefit against public safety impact before making further changes this year."
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written by upthecreek , February 01, 2010
written by upthecreek , February 01, 2010
Use County inmates to push the mowers and fix the streets, trim the trees, clean the pools and pick up trash. Every full day of hard work will subtract one day off their time remaining. Any questions?
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written by Rick O'Brien , February 02, 2010
written by Rick O'Brien , February 02, 2010
Sheriff Lutze, a good start would be for you to follow Sheriff Joe's lead & start serving your inmates baloney sandwiches 3 times a day and when the jail gets too full,buy some Army tents and a couple of rolls of concertina wire. It works in Maricopa County.
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written by Concerned , February 02, 2010
written by Concerned , February 02, 2010
The majority of info regarding Sheriff Joe in Maricopa county is just hype, helped along by the internet. A study he funded with taxpayer dollars showed that there was no change in the recidivism rate for inmates in Maricopa. He then attempted to discredit the study. Inmates have died and his office is facing numerous lawsuits. His approval ratings are taking a dive right now and numerous law enforcement associations have given him a vote of no confidence.
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written by LP lover , February 03, 2010
written by LP lover , February 03, 2010
Thank you for the comment "Concerned." It's refreshing to see comments that are based on empirically sound data, rather than the wrong assumption the punitive measures have a positive impact on recidivism rates. Anyone with some sort of academia based knowledge would know that rehabilitative measures have a much greater impact on reducing recidivism rates. It's a shame that our government continues to take money out of programs that work.
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written by Me , February 03, 2010
written by Me , February 03, 2010
In response to "up the creek"
The Sheriff's department already has a work release program. Its called the WRAP program. Any questions ??
Votes: +3
The Sheriff's department already has a work release program. Its called the WRAP program. Any questions ??
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written by Rick O'Brien , February 04, 2010
written by Rick O'Brien , February 04, 2010
LP lover...crooks are gonna be crooks regardless of their punishment. My comments had nothing to do with recidivism or rehabilitation. They were about the budget shortfall that Sheriff Lutze is facing due to the extremely high cost of housing and feeding prisoners. I personally do not care if Sheriff Joe's prisoners are rehabilitated and I don't think anybody else does either. It's time to stop coddling convicts & making jail a vacation.
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written by K. Buchanan , February 05, 2010
written by K. Buchanan , February 05, 2010
To Rick, could not agree with you more! Jail inmates sit around watching cable t.v., ordering commissary snacks, and counting their good time credits till they get released and do it all over again. All at the cost of the county.
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written by LP lover , February 05, 2010
written by LP lover , February 05, 2010
Mr. O'Brien you have made it perfectly clear that you don't care whether or not prisoners are rehabilitated. I care not for the prisoners, but for society as a whole when the inmates are released. There have been many studies done on this subject, and it would benefit many to understand this from an empirical standpoint. Your assumption that crooks will be crooks regardless of their punishment is absolutely not true. When prisoners are released from a prison where they've been provided with no education or other life coping skills they will absolutely recidivate and wreak criminal and economical havoc on our society. What people don't realize is that 95% of prisoners are eventually released back into society, and that in California 7 out of 10 prisoners return to jail or prison. When we release an inmate more dangerous than before, it only puts our citizens at greater risk. Hundreds of studies show that rehabilitative measures significantly reduce recidivism rates. It's a shame that you or more people don't care or realize how much Sheriff Joe's punitive measures don't work.
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written by Concerned , February 05, 2010
written by Concerned , February 05, 2010
Rick, are you saying that you don't care if criminals commit another crime when they are released? Because that's what happens when recidivism rates rise. And the majority of prisoners WILL eventually be released. It's important to focus on programs (such as rehabilitation) that will prevent them from committing another crime.
Overcrowded prisons aren't good for anybody. It frustrates me to see education dollars being reduced as more money is shuffled toward
prisons. I do not believe prisoners should be coddled, but the problem is that any prison that treats them like animals will eventually get sued- and lose. That is what is happening in Maricopa County.
Votes: +3
Overcrowded prisons aren't good for anybody. It frustrates me to see education dollars being reduced as more money is shuffled toward
prisons. I do not believe prisoners should be coddled, but the problem is that any prison that treats them like animals will eventually get sued- and lose. That is what is happening in Maricopa County.
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written by Rick O'Brien , February 07, 2010
written by Rick O'Brien , February 07, 2010
Guys,guys...you're right.I shouldn't have said that I don't care if prisoners are rehabilitated. What I meant to say was that in the majority of the instances , it's just not realistic. MOST convicts... no... most PEOPLE, are not sentenced to jail on their first offense,especially non-violent drug offenses. When they continue to break the law,they eventually end up in jail. When they do, and they get to lay around & play ping-pong,or pool,or watch tv, they think hey,this ain't so bad! And all the time that they're kicking back with their buddies,they teach each other their scams and how to commit other crimes.What I'm saying is...when jail or prison is too comfortable, it's not much of a deterrent. Back in the 70's, I drove out of a gas station in Bishop with a tank of gas that I did not pay for. The CHP stopped me in Lone Pine, and I copped to the whole thing and when I went to court, I got 30 days for petty theft. Deservedly so. Jail, even the tiny little Inyo County Jail of 1979,was NOT a pleasant place for me.It scared the hell out of me,and it straightened me out. It straightened me out because it was tough & nasty and miserable and I never wanted to be locked up again. If jail was STILL like it was back then, maybe there would be less recidivism.
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written by Concerned , February 07, 2010
written by Concerned , February 07, 2010
The prisons in California are already pretty rough, especially because of the overcrowding. And yet California has a very high rate of recidivism- the highest rate in the nation. Given those facts and the many studies done on the subject, it's pretty clear that tough prisons do not have a positive impact on recidivism rates.
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