PLACER COUNTY, CA (CBS13) — A recent home invasion in Placer County is just the latest example of recently-released inmates accused of committing violent crimes when they were supposed to have been behind bars.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Department says there is no room in the jails to keep the inmates, but jail records indicate that they’re releasing dozens of inmates each week despite hundreds of empty beds. There are also concerns about who they’re releasing and the ripple effect on public safety – and taxpayers.

Whistleblowers and other critics acknowledge that the jailers have a difficult job and deciding who to release can sometimes be an impossible task. But they point to hundreds of empty beds and shortcomings in the department’s policy that determines which inmates they release.

SUMMARY:

• Jail records indicate that the Placer County Sheriff’s Department is releasing dozens of inmates a week despite hundreds of empty beds.
• The department cites a federal order that authorizes the sheriff to release inmates when jail capacity hits 90%.
• Whistleblowers point to two unused jail pods, with 100 total beds, that have been sitting empty for over a year.
• The department now says it’s actively working to staff those jail pods to begin using 100 empty beds.
• Meanwhile, they have released more than 100 so-called “no-bail inmates” in the first 5 months of the year — suspects who a judge deemed too risky to allow to post bail while they await trial.
• There are also questions about...

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