NCJ Number
146036
Journal
Large Jail Network Bulletin Dated: (Winter 1993) Pages: 8-9
Date Published
1993
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes a strategy being employed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to control the size of its inmate population. The strategy ranks prisoners in terms of potential for release based on a matrix that assigns each inmate a numerical value in five categories.
Abstract
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is under pressure, both court ordered and budgetary, to limit the size of its inmate population in the county jails. It is therefore experimenting with new inmate population control strategies. One such strategy is called the "release level matrix." This system assigns inmates a numerical score following a systematic evaluation in five categories. These scores are used as a basis for identifying inmates who are most eligible for release with the least impact on the community. Inmates who receive the lowest scores are deemed most acceptable for release. These would be inmates with the lowest security level, lowest bail, least heinous charges and with the greatest portion of their sentences completed. The Sheriff's Department is also developing a full-time population management staff in order to monitor and control inmate populations on a continual basis.