New Measure Passed to Transfer Mentally Unstable Inmates into Treatment

A new proposition called Measure R was passed unanimously in the 2020 Los Angeles (L.A.) County election ballot on March 3. According to LAist, Measure R was introduced by the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission in order to reduce the L.A. County jail population by transferring mentally unstable inmates out of incarceration and into treatment. 

Sophomore Christopher Sims believes that the idea of reducing the number of jail inmates was appealing to most people in L.A. County because of the negative effects of overcrowding such as increased gang activity and mental instability.

“I believe transferring jail inmates with mental-health issues will effectively lower jail populations because a large portion of people in jail struggle with their mental health,” Sims said.

Measure R’s initiative to resolve L.A.’s ever-increasing incarcerated population will also help the commission conduct criminal investigations, as it would allow said commission to summon witnesses and documents. 

Senior Will Moore recalled that crime in L.A. County has been steadily increasing in recent years and believes that Measure R will combat this rapid surge, which is why he voted for the bill in L.A. County’s 2020 primary election. 

“I think giving the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission more power to conduct criminal investigations will, in turn, reduce crime rates in Los Angeles,” Moore said. 

Spanish 2 and French 2 teacher Jazz Thompson believes Measure R will help the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission be more beneficial to L.A. County by focusing on reducing crime and jail populations. However, Thompson is concerned that the commission might abuse its power because of the increased freedom to handle jail populations and situations created by Measure R.

“If Measure R were to be successful, there would need to be regulations in place that would keep the commission in line,” Thompson said. 

Although Measure R has been passed, it may be a considerable amount of time before L.A. County implements its full plan, as, according to Ballotpedia, it will take several months for the commission to create and finalize a plan.