Early disposition of narcotics cases

Abstract

Los Angeles has the unenviable distinction of having the largest municipal jail system in the United States. The present inmate population exceeds 22,000. This astounding figure consists of both sentenced and pre-sentenced inmates. The Sheriff's Department has the responsibility to house, transport to court, care for and feed all these individuals. Like other agencies with custodial responsibilities, the Sheriff's Department faces serious jail overcrowding problems. As regional population increases, social challenges such as the burgeoning drug problem and increased gang activity place enormous demands on a jail system originally designed for far fewer than the present inmate population. In 1975, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought suit against the county of Los Angeles because of jail overcrowding. The Federal District Court empowered the Sheriff to release inmates to keep the population below a 22,000 inmate population cap. This empowerment results in difficult policy decisions. Inmates are released earlier than their sentences require. At one point, persons convicted of crimes and sentenced to 30 days in jail were booked into the system and immediately released. Such required policies play havoc on public confidence in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. They also impact on the effective functioning of the prosecution and the courts.