Community Corner

County Officials to Consider Options to Modernize Jail System

By  By Elizabeth Marcellino / City News Service

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was expected to hear a presentation today on options for upgrading the county's jail system, with an emphasis on the need for mental health services and separate facilities for high-security inmates.

The board has considered various plans to modernize, expand and reconfigure aging and outdated jails over the last six to seven years. But the supervisors have taken no action, balking at the price tag and raising concerns about the need for and long-term viability of various recommendations.

Vanir Construction Management Inc. was hired by the county to provide a comprehensive analysis of the critical needs and submitted a report July 5.

The consulting firm determined that Men's Central Jail should be closed and demolished as it has reached the end of its useful life and is far too expensive to maintain in its deteriorated state.

Vanir also pointed to a need for more facilities to treat mentally ill inmates, a population which is significant and expected to grow by 40 to 50 percent in the next five years, according to the Department of Mental Health.

Based on the special needs of mentally ill and high-security inmates, there is
often a mismatch between the type of beds or facilities available and the needs
of the population.

But while more inmates are expected to have complicated medical and mental health needs, the report forecasts that the overall number of inmates should remain fairly flat for the next 30 years, at about 18,500 inmates. A decline in crime overall and other factors are expected to offset the fact that county jails are now housing many inmates once destined for state prisons, according to Vanir's report.

Vanir presented the board with four alternatives -- none of which increase the number of beds available -- ranging in cost from $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion. Each calls for demolishing Men's Central Jail and building a facility downtown to house all high- and medium-security inmates and provide for mentally ill criminals.

The question of where female inmates will be housed is the key variable among the plans. The most expensive option includes housing for women at a Women's Village at Pitchess Detention Center and at a modernized Mira Loma Detention Center, formerly used by federal immigration authorities.

Once the board chooses an option, the next step would be to begin more detailed assessment and design for the project. The final completion date under each of the county alternatives is set for July 2023.

Several groups advocating funding for community-based services and resources as an alternative to spending money on jail beds are expected to protest at today's meeting.

Vanir's report does not specifically address alternatives to incarceration. It does note, however, that nearly 50 percent of county inmates have not yet been sentenced, pointing to the possibility of electronic monitoring or other pre-sentencing alternatives to jail time.


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