Baca seeks authority to order Home Detention

[Bo]

Source: LA Times

SACRAMENTO — Under fire for overcrowded jails, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is seeking the power to force thousands of inmates to be placed on detention in their homes, but prisoners rights advocates are fighting the move, saying that it would mean many more inmates would be deprived of the medical and mental healthcare they get behind bars.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-baca12jul12,0,2724831.story?page=1&coll=la-home-center

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Prisoners Rights advocates do not want prisoners freed? Isn't jail dangerous?

[Crunchy Frog]

1. Jail has become the social safety net in this country.

What a sad comment on how disfunctional our society has become.

[JDPriestly]

2. We can't have sheriffs who do not necessarily have legal training

deciding sentences. That is the judge's job. Because of the overcrowding, Baca already has too much power regarding who gets out of jail and who doesn't. Allowing a sheriff to have this kind of power would result in even more unfairness and potentially even corruption in sentencing than there is. The Paris Hilton case is an excellent example. Wasn't one of Paris's relatives a donor to the sheriff in some way? And her sentence was cut exceptionally short without proper documentation according to the judge. No.