Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/124665
4A Daily News – Saturday, April 27, 2013 Opinion Homeless DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Editor: Sounds like L.L. Layor just grabbed the hook with the worm on it to support the homeless. If as he states they are relatives of local families, then why are they homeless? Is it because the families are tired of supporting them and have kicked them out, or are they part of the 44 percent of citizens on local, state or federal assistance. L.L.L. would have you believe the taxpayers of America do not support these people and they live on handouts. Homeless people live this way because it is their choice to do so, not because of a failure of the system. Look around your neighborhood and become aware of the developmental handicapped housing for all levels of handicaps. If you lived in my neighborhood there are 3 or 4 of these homes, from low to high levels of care. Yet under every bridge in most communities, homeless people choose to live. I cannot tell you the number of times Caltrans, T.C. Sheriff's Department, RB Police and Animal Control have been summoned for disputes, theft, etc. among the homeless. Even if a homeless shelter were to be provided it is my belief these people would still want to be homeless and not answerable to anyone. The more aid that is provided by the community the more homeless you have, and not all areas of the state welcome the homeless. L.L.L. sounds like he has all the answers, when in reality he has none. His attitude just angers most citizens who do not accept how the homeless live. W R Hendrix, Red Bluff Redding has 90,000 people and Red Bluff has maybe 20,000. Editor: And then I spoke to my friend At first, I was angry, but then who retired last year as a parole concerned to learn Redding officer, he told me the real reason Parole Headquarters is they are keeping Red closing. Bluff open is because a Your Their parole officers high ranking official for were reassigned to Red the north division lives Bluff on April 15. The there. sex offender parole offiIt makes no sense cers in Redding are that they are making all next. the reassigned parole officers I am very concerned for the drive all the way from Redding to safety of my daughter and her Red Bluff even though they live in family because they live in Red- Redding. ding. And these officers have departApparently, the Department of ment-provided cars, so you and I Corrections and Rehabilitation are paying for the gas bill. doesn't seem to care about the I'm a retired veteran of the safety of its citizens of Redding. Marines, having served my counI learned by calling Sacramen- try in Vietnam. What ever hapto Headquarters that Redding is pened to commanders setting an moving to Red Bluff to "combine example for the working soldiers? services" (save money) and that Our hard-earned tax dollars there are more parolees on a per being spent wisely? Obviously capital scale than in Red Bluff. not. Come on. James Shuman, Red Bluff Parole office Turn Your officials Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary No room at the inn? As I pointed out last week, AB 109 is the latest result of a series of legal challenges to state prison overcrowding that dates back to at least 1990. The changes it incorporates include many proposals made by the Schwarzenegger administration when it successfully evaded solving the prison crowding problem. (Last week I made the mistake of attributing the suits to the period of the Schwarzenegger administration; they actually go date back three administrations earlier.) I also noted that alleged Gerber resident Jim Nielsen used his usual scare tactics to stir up the pot about AB 109. Nielsen, whom some call a true career retail politician, one who makes his living telling us to be afraid of "those career politicians" in Sacramento, pointed out that there were sure to be serious consequences for us because of AB 109 and we needed to be forewarned. Everyone I have interviewed locally about AB 109 realizes it is far from a perfect solution to various crime problems; its most notable achievement, however, is to help the state get off the federal hook, at least for a while. We should be proud that our local officials are working together so hard to make AB 109 work for us, even without the support of our state senator. Sheriff Dave Hencratt says our level of cooperation within Tehama County is far greater than in most counties in the state. AB 109 may be based on wishful thinking; I believe it embodies the hope that by more local supervision and incarceration of inmates, the likelihood of rehabilitation for criminals is increased. It will take time to learn if that is going to be the case. Some I spoke with said that likelihood would apply to only a minority of criminals. The fact that the law creates a Committee of the Community Corrections Partnership with the Chief Probation Officer designated as the chair, reinforces my feeling. The premise behind this organization is that local people working together could have a better impact on the normally abysmal recidivism rate. This may in fact be good thinking, but in order to make that happen something has to happen to help criminals make changes in their lives and outlooks. Some steps that have already been taken to do this include over 50 supervised individuals working in and about the county in such places as the Fairgrounds, Cal Trans, the Red Bluff Police Department, an auto shop, and the Salvation Army. Other supervised individuals report to the Day Reporting Center for counseling, education, and oversight. The concept of a work farm was also to put low risk individuals into a work situation that would benefit them and county operations. (E.g. food for the jail.) AB 109 requires local jail incarceration for many crimes that would have required state prison sentences in the past. It also places those on state parole for specified crimes in county jail if they violate their terms of parole; in the past those people would have gone back to prison. This change took effect in October 2011 and it modified over 500 sections of the penal code. According to the Sherriff on the day I spoke with him there were 118 inmates in the County Jail as a result of AB 109. These inmates have either been sentenced since October 2011, and would normally have been sent to state prison, or they have violated their state parole for certain offenses. One of these inmates received a nine year sentence; prior to AB 109 sentences over one year were not to solve part of the overcrowdserved in the county jail. The number of these serving ing problem; adequate state their sentences locally poses funding will be important to problems in the near term future. make this happen. There will be more about this in a Jail capacity is a big later column. potential problem; the Another problem jail has an operational associated with the capacity of about 200 influx of AB 109 according to Chief Proinmates is the capacbation Officer Richard ity to hold pre-senMeunch and Sheriff tencing inmates. Hencratt. Those 118 Normally about 60 to inmates in jail as a 70 percent of inmates result of AB 109 were in the County Jail are from the first 18 those being held months after the law prior to sentencing. took effect. If the Joe More serious crime, parole violation, inmates are still and apprehension rates being held, but all remain the same, the sometimes there is jail will be full of just no capacity for these AB 109 inmates by people, and they are released 2015. Meanwhile, there are poten- without bail. AB 109 increases the credit tial issues of mixing the "normal" jail population with those for time served; for two days of who have committed relatively incarceration an inmate receives more serious crimes. If a jail two more days of custody credit, sentence is supposed to be a cynically called a get out of jail wakeup call as well as a conse- early pass. In addition, persons quence for "low level" crimes, who are serving Post Release how much influence will daily Community Supervision can association with more "serious" have their term reduced from criminals have on helping those three years to one year for good "low level" inmates reform? Jail behavior. In speaking to District Attorpersonnel will have to sort that ney Gregg Cohen, he expressed all out. Those serving longer sen- his concern that the effect of AB tences will, and do, need more 109 was to water down the conmedical services; so far, accord- sequences of criminal behavior; ing to the Sherriff the Tehama it dilutes the deterrent effect of County Health Services Agency, law. Clearly solving prison crowdunder the leadership of Executive Director Valerie Lucero, has ing is only one piece of the puzbeen able to provide those ser- zle we have to solve in order to vices while keeping the costs reduce crime rates, decrease manageable. The Sherriff says recidivism, and develop more that because of the longer sen- prevention programs. Assuring tencing preventive health care adequate resources to do the job may be more practical for some locally will also continue to be a inmates; this will be a new concern. focus. Joe Harrop is a retired As reported in the Daily educator with more than 30 News, an expansion of the jail onto the property where the years of service to the North County Library is currently State. He can be reached at located is being planned in order DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop