A spokesperson for the said they are continuing to feel the pinch brought on by a federal mandate that required California reduce its prisoner population.  In order to comply, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered certain lower level inmates be transferred to county jails to serve out the remainder of their sentences.  Those facilities, including the Twin Towers Jail in LA, are now at near capacity themselves.

Sheriffs' officials from throughout the state have begun to explore ways to "relieve pressure".  In Los Angeles, a plan which would allow additional pretrial inmates to be released is currently being explored.   As of late 2012 LA's jails were at approximately 90% capacity.  It is estimated that an additional 6,000 prisoners could be realigned into the Los Angeles system within the next year.

As it stands, about 10,000 of those currently in custody are awaiting trial.  The county is now considering a measure that would allow low-level, non-violent pretrial defendants to be released via GPS, probation check-ins, on their own recognizance or via work release.   The types of inmates eligible for this program would include those being held on DUI, those being held for drug possession, petty theft and other similar offenses.

Proponents of the plan reportedly say that if the right risk-assessment tools are utilized, this could save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.