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Bail Agents Lodge Corruption Claim In Orange County

February 28th, 2009
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sheriff-michael-caronaThree veteran bail bond agents have filed a legal claim against Orange County CA alleging that the Sheriff’s Department allows gangs inside the jails to steer inmates to certain bail companies in exchange for kickbacks to the gangs.  From the Los Angeles Times.

[T]he agents estimate that their businesses are losing $100 million a year because of the scheme, which is known in law enforcement circles as “capping.”   “It’s impacting my business and there’s illegal activities going on inside the jails . . . to the detriment to the people who are playing by the rules,” Bob Drake, one of the bondsmen who filed the claim, said Friday …

According to the bondsmen’s attorney, Richard P. Herman, former Sheriff Michael S. Carona allowed his top lieutenant, former Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo, to initiate the scheme, and current Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has allowed it to continue.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Department said it is in regular contact with leaders of the bail bond industry and will review the claims to determine if an investigation is warranted.  “If we are made aware of any illegal activity in our jails, we will take all appropriate action to see that it is stopped and those responsible are prosecuted,” the statement reads.

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Jails Must Trim Budgets

February 23rd, 2009
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dollarsThe economic crisis is hitting local jails throughout the country.  Just this weekend I found the following examples:

Ramsey County MN Corrections has been told to cut $550,000 from this year’s budget.

Community Corrections, which runs the jail, is being asked to trim $536,000. Department spokesman Chris Crutchfield said it’s unclear where those might slice.   “We have a hole to fill, and it’s a question of how we’re going to keep people safe with $500,000 less, and that’s a lot of money for us,” he said.

Orange County CA has cancelled an expansion:

A jail unit that houses nearly 200 inmates and was planned for expansion earlier this year will be closed because of budget constraints. Orange County sheriff’s officials on Friday began shutting down the unit at James Musick jail. The low-security inmates housed in tents, which were erected in the 1980s to ease overcrowding, will be moved to other areas of the jail as well as other facilities in the county system. The move is expected to save about $1.2 million a year.

Nassau County NY has cut visiting hours:

As part of a countywide initiative to close a $130-million gap in this year’s budget, the jail no longer has visiting hours on Saturday starting this weekend, Chief Deputy County Executive Marilyn Gottlieb said last week.   The change surprised some who stopped by the jail yesterday afternoon expecting to visit someone.

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Daily Sweep 080527

May 27th, 2008
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vericatrajkova CA Orange County, FL Pinellas County, Overcrowding

Daily Sweep 080304

March 4th, 2008
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Orange County Jail To Be Supervised

February 7th, 2008
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The Orange County CA Council of Supervisors have agreed to establish an Office of Independent Review that will oversee jail operations.

Directly modeled after the Los Angeles Sheriff Departments office, the Orange County version will be made up of civil rights attorneys who monitor and advise the sheriff’s Internal Affairs Unit. It will help the county reduce the potential for inmate lawsuits and create more transparency within the sheriff’s department, [Supervisor John] Moorlach said. “It provides a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for taxpayers,” he said. Former Sheriff Mike Carona opposed the plan, but his successor, Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson, endorsed it, even while saying the department already has procedures in place to record deputies’ interactions with the public and inmates.

More detail in the OC Register.

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