If you haven’t been hit by the realization that California has transformed into a prison state in recent years, you might want to prepare yourself.
Starting Saturday, the state’s criminal justice system will be coming to an area near you, in the form of recently released inmates, freed from lockup under California’s sweeping “realignment” plan to reduce overcrowding in state prisons.
Read More
Dozens of accused murderers languish in San Francisco jails as judges struggle to find open courtrooms, prosecutors labor under heavy caseloads and defense attorneys search for witnesses who might prove their client’s innocence.
Meanwhile, memories fade, cases grow years old and victims’ families lose hope for justice.
Read More
The influx of hundreds of state inmates into San Francisco jails will force The City to spend millions more dollars and heighten its challenge of keeping ex-convicts out of trouble.
San Francisco is preparing for an increase of about 700 inmates and parolees within the next year as a result of the state’s so-called realignment plan. The shifting of state prisoners to San Francisco and other counties is projected to save the state $1.4 billion.
Read More
Unless San Mateo County finds somewhere to put the state prisoners who are about to flood into county jails, local authorities might have to become soft on crime with measures such as early release and reduced sentences for minor offenses, Sheriff Greg Munks said this week.
Read More
Sheriff Michael Hennessey is asking for an extra $6.4 million from The City’s general fund to keep San Francisco’s jails running through the end of June.
Read More
Taxpayer dollars have gone mostly to San Francisco’s jails and the Sheriff’s Department over the last two decades while less money has been allocated to prosecutors, police and probation officers, according to a preliminary Harvard study on public safety spending.
The information, compiled by District Attorney George Gascón using data from the California Attorney General’s Office, casts a different light on The City’s priorities when it comes to fighting crime.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/topics/jails
