Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called into the John & Ken Show today to blast Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson's decision to release 1,800 jail inmates to prevent spread of the coronavirus.
Orange County DA Todd Spitzer put out is own statement:
A judge’s ruling to reduce the inmate population in the Orange County jail system by half will release dangerous and violent criminals back into our neighborhoods to commit more crimes and victimize more people.
This is not fearmongering; it is a fact.
The jail population, through the implementation of $0 bail and early release by the Sheriff, has been reduced by more than 33% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The District Attorney’s Office has been keeping statistics in order to understand the impact of these court orders. Orange County inmates released early before serving their full sentence or on $0 bail went out and committed new crimes at rates at nearly triple normal recidivism rates: 44% for early release inmates and 38% for $0 bail defendants.
A sample of their crimes: auto theft, burglary, robbery, assault, weapons, theft and narcotics.
And a 23-year-old man who stabbed his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend four times, killing her. He had been released on $0 bail 3 ½ weeks earlier.
These are not just new crimes. These are new victims.
Listen to Sheriff Barnes blast this lunatic Judge who is putting your safety at risk.
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