ADDA Hails Withdrawal of Motion to ‘Depopulate’ Los Angeles County Jails
Prosecutors’ Union Terms Proposal by Solis, Horvath ‘Dangerous’
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The county prosecutors’ union has hailed the removal of a motion from the Board of Supervisors’ agenda for yesterday’s meeting that called for steps to “depopulate” the jails and “decarcerate” some of those convicted of crimes.
Among the prescribed actions was closing the Men’s Central Jail.
The Association of Deputy District Attorneys (“ADDA”) said in a statement released late Monday that Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath had put forth a “dangerous proposal.”
The motion, introduced on March 29, called upon the board to “[d]eclare the State of mental health services and overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jails a humanitarian crisis, requiring the County to move with all deliberate speed on meaningful solutions; and prioritize decreasing the number of individuals entering the Los Angeles County Jails….”
Siddall Comments
ADDA Vice President Eric Siddall, a possible candidate for district attorney, was quoted in the ADDA press release as commenting:
“The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ motion to gut parts of the criminal justice system without input from stakeholders is dangerous and reckless. The authors sought no advice from those who know and understand public safety issues.
“The proposal sought to lower the jail population without addressing the root causes of crime or protecting the public. This catch-and-release program comes without any plan or infrastructure to protect the community from violent criminals apprehended by law enforcement. It creates no lockdown facilities for the mentally ill. It benefits no one except career criminals.”
Siddall added:
“We need to ensure that the most dangerous offenders don’t get out, first-time offenders don’t come back, and those with serious mental illnesses get appropriate care and help. This proposal does none of that.
