IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Inmate populations at county jails are dropping in California, the result of a ballot proposition passed by voters last November that treats certain drug and property crimes as misdemeanors and not felonies.
At the same time, Prop. 47, has lengthened some jail stays not covered by that initiative because jail officials no longer have to release some inmates due to overcrowding, according to multiple reports.
That has happened in the Inland Empire, where there has been a slight drop in daily bookings and early releases.
The reports cited an Associated Press survey which examined jails in 10 counties, facilities that account for about 70 percent of the state’s county jails.
The AP survey found that, so far, Prop. 47 is doing what it was intended to do: releasing some inmates for lesser crimes, thus clearing space and allowing jails to keep inmates convicted of more serious crimes for longer stays, the reports stated.
