A program that Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca championed three
\nyears ago to sharply reduce the early release of jail inmates by
\nplacing as many as 2,000 additional offenders on electronic monitoring
\nat home has failed to make a significant dent in the problem.
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<\/br>When
\nhe first announced the initiative in 2007 and prodded the state
\nLegislature to allow it, Baca touted it as a major step that would free
\njail space and allow the department to keep more-serious offenders
\nbehind bars longer.
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<\/br>But officials now concede the plan was based on a misunderstanding of the jail population. That doomed it from the outset.
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<\/br>Last
\nweek, only 135 inmates were involuntarily serving sentences at home,
\nwhere they wear electronic ankle bracelets to track their movements,
\naccording to Sheriff’s Department numbers provided to The Times.
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There are now fewer inmates on home detention than when Baca pushed to expand the program in 2007, according to the records. <\/p>\n