Last year, California voters backed Proposition 36 to crack down on repeat drug and theft offenders and try to direct those struggling with addiction into treatment rather than jails and prisons.
Now, the county sheriff’s office reports the number of people staying in county jails has spiked. As of Friday, 511 people with Proposition 36 charges were being held in county jails.
Further complicating matters: The sheriff’s office told our Lisa Halverstadt that Proposition 36 defendants often have significant physical and behavioral health challenges, putting more strain on an agency that has for years come under fire for deaths in its jails…