Realignment Changing Role of Sheriffs, State Agency Says
In a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and legislative leaders on Thursday, the Little Hoover Commission said that a state prisoner realignment law is requiring local sheriffs to act as de facto judges and decide how long convicts should serve and who should make bail. Under the law, many lower-level convicts are sent to county jails instead of state prisons in an effort to reduce prison overcrowding and improve inmate health care.
- "Agency: Realignment Law Undermines Role of Judges" (Thompson, AP/U-T San Diego, 5/30).