By Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times
December 10, 2011

The early release of inmates in some parts of California is accelerating as officials at county jails struggle to accommodate state prisoners flowing into their facilities.

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Confidential Sheriff’s Department memos focused on force at Men’s Central Jail, an aging downtown Los Angeles facility that Sheriff Lee Baca has said should be torn down and replaced. (Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press / September 28, 2011)

By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
October 29, 2011, 9:25 p.m.

Nearly two years before Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged that jailer brutality was a problem, his command staff raised alarms about excessive force used on inmates in the nation’s largest jail system, according to confidential memos reviewed by The Times.

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The Los Angeles County sheriff said he failed to implement important reforms that could have minimized brutality. He also said his command staff has at times left him in the dark about jail conditions.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, left, meets with the editorial board at the Los Angeles Times. (Al Seib, Los Angeles Times / October 14, 2011)

By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
October 16, 2011, 5:55 p.m.

In a searing self-critique, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged that he was out of touch about problems in his jails and had failed to implement important reforms that could have minimized deputy brutality against inmates.

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John W. Pace, left, stands out as the only recruit wearing the Sheriff’s Department’s tan and green uniform at the graduation of academy Class 383 in April. The other 18 recruits are from local police agencies. (Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times / May 29, 2011)

By Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
May 29, 2011

In an effort to cut costs, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not hired any rookie deputies in the last 19 months, with one exception: an applicant with ties to Sheriff Lee Baca’s son.

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