It wasn't all that long ago that OC defense attorneys had alleged that the county's use of jailhouse informants was a direct violation of their constitutional rights.

At that point, OC public defenders alleged that prosecutors were using sentenced inmates to interrogate pre-trial defendants and went so far as to claim the DA's office was hiding the inappropriate tactics.

But Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hurchens has stepped forward to defend the county prosecutor, saying that the use of jailhouse informants has been "very effective."

It's a slippery slope to navigate and the legal battle is ongoing.  In LA and Orange County, two key informants have earned more than $70,000 each by helping collect evidence against pre-trial defendants.   Those fees have been paid by local law enforcement agencies; the informants were also provided leniency in terms of how their cases were handled.

Other things, such as taco deliveries, a PlayStation and private cable television access were also provided.

Yes, Hutchens admits that corrections staff could have been better trained when it came to how deputies are to handle in-jail informants but she still feels there are benefits to the program.

Fighting death row

The practice came under fire earlier this year, after Scott Dekaraai pled guilty to killing eight people at a Seal Beach salon during a domestic dispute with his ex-wife; it was the deadliest mass-shooting in Orange County history.

Dekaraai wound up receiving the death penalty but his attorney is challenging that decision and has alleged that were it not for information that was illegally obtained through jailhouse informants, that his client may have been able to avoid death row.

The District Attorneys office eventually admitted that yes, some information had been inadvertently withheld from defense attorneys in this and other cases, but the flub was not intended.

The sheriff's department said they now keep centralized records and have streamlined processes.  They have also appointed an investigator to oversee the informant program, Hutchens said.

Many of the challenges, according to a spokesperson, was due to a lack of training as it pertains to best practices.  The corrections department said they have new systems in place to make sure these types of mistakes don't happen in the future.

Read the full story here:  OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens:  Poor organization, training led to mistakes with jailhouse informants