TWENTYNINE PALMS CITY COUNCIL GETS UPDATE FROM SHERIFF ON PRISONER RELEASE BILL

In a meeting that was long on presentations and short on transacted business, the Twentynine Palms City Council heard about prisons, transit agencies, women of distinction, and public art, and voted on traffic light studies and electric charging stations. Dan Stork broke his report into two parts. Today, the County Sheriff’s briefing on AB109, the so-called prisoner-release bill…
San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon briefed the Twentynine Palms City Council on the fallout of AB 109. McMahon clarified that the bill does not force the release of state prisoners into the counties’ jail systems; rather, it prevents the counties from sending inmates to the state that it used to. For San Bernardino, this has resulted in over 300 additional prisoners per month staying in the county system. McMahon says strained jail capacities have resulted in vastly reduced jail time for many offenders. He noted that the rise in property crime since 2011 has not been officially tied to increased releases, but said it stands to reason there is a connection. On the bright side, McMahon detailed improvements in rehabilitation programs as a response to AB109, to prevent recidivism and hopefully reduce future jail crowding.