Woke Los Angeles County supervisors propose motion to DEPOPULATE jails
Woke Los Angeles County Supervisors have quietly proposed a plan to depopulate jails by releasing incarcerated suspects.
Democrats Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis added a motion to Tuesday’s public meeting titled Los Angeles County to Take Practical Steps to Depopulate and De-Incarcerate Los Angeles County Jails.
‘I would declare the state of mental health services and the overcrowding in Los Angeles County jails a humanitarian crisis, requiring the county to move with deliberate speed in search of meaningful solutions; and prioritize decreasing the number of people entering Los Angeles County jails.’
The sheriff’s office would then be directed to “release persons committed and/or sentenced to county jails for misdemeanors and/or felonies who can be safely returned to the community,” although an earlier version of the proposal said that it would apply to criminals. with a bond of less than $50,000.
However, critics say the proposal could allow the release of suspects charged with domestic violence, robbery and assault with a firearm, including potentially a driver who crashed into a Los Angeles street carnival in November, injuring six. people, but was only retained on a $50,000 bond.
Woke Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis, left, and Lindsey Horvath, right, proposed a measure to depopulate jails by releasing incarcerated suspects
Under the proposal, the sheriff’s office would be directed to “release persons committed and/or sentenced to county jails for misdemeanors and/or felonies who can be safely released into the community.”
Under his proposal, the Los Angeles Superior Court would be ordered to “implement the Emergency Bail Program that was in effect at the height of the COVID pandemic.”
The public defenders’ office would also be asked to “develop recommendations, including staffing and budget needs, that would enable each office to assist individuals in resolving failure to appear warrants as a means of avoiding incarceration.”
An earlier version of the proposal specified that the sheriff’s office would release “individuals with aggregate bail amounts set at $50,000 or less,” however that provision does not appear in a revised version of the motion.
In addition, he requested to work with the office of Governor Gavin Newsom to “expedite [the] release of detained individuals on behalf of the state, including granting delegated authority to the sheriff to calculate credits, and releasing individuals directly from local custody…and establishing state-funded and administered alternative custody arrangements for individuals who are in custody based on the state’s decision to revoke their probation.’
And, the motion called for a “zero bail schedule for people charged with misdemeanors, infractions, misdemeanors, and some felonies, similar to the schedule that was established at the height of the COVID pandemic on a permanent basis,” also as subsidize the transportation of a suspect to and from court.
Meanwhile, another motion proposed by the two supervisors would be to invest more in mental health to accommodate released inmates.
It states that the county must ‘develop an initial 500 safe mental health care beds to serve… individuals who have the most severe mental health needs and require the most resources and support.’
The proposal apparently came after protesters called for the closure of the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles last week and handed county supervisors a list of their demands.
Activists say county jails, like the Central Men’s Jail, are overcrowded, even after the county passed a motion to create a jail closure implementation team, which would develop goals and timelines for depopulating the jail from safe way.
The proposal apparently came after activists called for the closure of the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles last week, protesting near the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Office on Thursday morning.
They demanded that the board commit to a closure schedule that would close the jail by March 2025, with signs reading “People Deserve Care, Not Cages,” following the deaths of three inmates, including one in jail.
Protesters noted that in 2021, the Board of Supervisors passed a motion to create a jail closure implementation team, which would develop goals and timelines for safely depopulating the jail.
Eric Siddall, vice president of the Los Angeles Association of Assistant District Attorneys, criticized the proposal.
But, organizers said KTLAcounty officials have not done enough to make that happen.
“Because jails are operating at 20 percent above capacity, we’re going to continue to see people die,” said Melissa Camacho, senior attorney for the ACLU of Southern California.
After the protest, KTLA reports, protesters delivered letters to the Board of Supervisors setting out their demands to close the prison.
But critics say the supervisors’ proposal puts Los Angeles County residents at risk every day, and Eric Siddall, vice president of the Los Angeles Association of Assistant District Attorneys, called the motion “dangerous.”
The ‘Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ motion to dismantle parts of the criminal justice system without stakeholder input is dangerous and reckless,” he said. Fox News.
“The authors did not seek the advice of those who know and understand public safety issues,” he stated. “They seek to reduce the prison population without addressing the root causes of crime or protecting the public.”
The video shows the terrifying moment people ran for safety after a Porsche SUV plowed through a crowd at a street carnival in Los Angeles in November, sending six people to hospital.
The injured victims in the incident, all between the ages of 15 and 40, were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
He said the proposal calls for the release of suspects charged with illegally carrying a weapon and those arrested on charges such as domestic violence, possession of child pornography, residential burglary, robbery or assault with a firearm.
But the supervisors’ proposal, Siddall said, does not include provisions to “protect the community from violent criminals.”
‘This catch and release program comes without any plan or infrastructure to protect the community from violent criminals being detained by law enforcement.
“This program benefits no one except career criminals,” he continued. “We need to make sure that the most dangerous offenders don’t get out, that first-time offenders don’t come back, and that those with serious mental illnesses get the right care and help. This doesn’t do any of that,’
Among those who could be released is Steven Weems, who was arrested in November after he allegedly ran over his Porsche at a street carnival in South Los Angeles, injuring six people.
Officers at the time said they tried to stop him, but Weems refused to stop and eventually crashed into a concrete rail and entered the carnival.
The victims were rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Weems was arrested on felony hit and run charges and was being held on $50,000 bond.
DailyMail.com has contacted the offices of Horvath and Solis, as well as the Los Angeles County district attorney and sheriff’s office for comment.
The board will meet Tuesday at 9:30 am to vote on the proposal.