Musick Madness - Part 2 (The Sell Out)

Last time we looked at Musick Jail and we noted the dramatic changes in the jail in terms of significant increases in the numbers of criminals and in the severity of their crimes. If we’re going to get more convicts and they’re going to be more hardened criminals than we’ve had in the past, you have to wonder about escapes.

Do Convicts Escape?

Do a Google search for "escape from Musick Jail" and you`ll find the following headlines:

• “Inmate escapes after alcohol abuse class”
• "Inmate Found 8 Hours After Leaving Work Crew"
• "Inmate Escapes From Work Program Bus"
•  "Escaped Inmate Caught When He Boards Bus"
• "Inmate on Work Crew Escapes"
• "2 Escape From Irvine Jail; 1 Captured After Chase"
• "Deputies Seeking Man Who Fled Musick Jail"

Between 1991 and July 26, 2010 there were 56 successful escapes from Musick Jail. That`s an average of nearly 3 escapes per year. In addition, there were 48 inmates who "walked away" from custody when they were out in the community. In total, 104 inmates from Musick escaped while under the Sheriff`s custody - an average of more than 5 per year!

In addition to this, there were 23 attempted escapes.

What about maximum security prisons? Do they pose a risk of convicts escaping? Indeed they do. Search Google for “escape from maximum security prison” and you’ll find these results -

• “2 Convicted Killers Escape from Maximum Security Indiana Prison”
• “Six Escape from Maximum Security Prison”
• “Two men escape maximum security prison in Iowa”
• “Two men escape maximum security prison in Fla.”
• “Two escape from Oklahoma maximum security prison”
• “Three inmates escape from a maximum security prison”

Thousands of people escape from maximum security prisons every year. This very month a man escaped on his way to a California state prison.

So, the reality is that we are getting more prisoners, they are more hardened than ever, and there exists a real chance that at some point they will escape. When they do, they don’t have to swim across San Francisco Bay or fight their way through a South American jungle. They will be walking through Lake Forest!

Let me repeat that – When they escape they will be walking through Lake Forest.

Is There an Alternative?

Instead of building a maximum security prison in the middle of two upscale California communities, why doesn’t the Sheriff do what many other Sheriffs have done – outsource our prisons. There are rural communities all over the U.S. that are just waiting to house prisoners in order to support their local economy. Some even outsource to other countries. Outsourcing is not without its own set of problems, but with the price of the land that Musick sits on, the Sheriff could probably buy an entire state or country. Instead she proposes to put our lives at risk by building a maximum security prison in our City.

Why Does Lake Forest`s City Council Support This Program?

Musick sits between Irvine and Lake Forest, but the part of Irvine that abuts Musick is commercial/industrial, with no people living within miles of the place. Nonetheless the City of Irvine sued the Sheriff.

"The Irvine City Council does not support planning for a massive Musick expansion now or anytime in the foreseeable future," Irvine Mayor Kang said. "Therefore, we will pursue all avenues to make sure our community is not impacted by changes at the Musick facility."

But Lake Forest’s city council “hails” the programs. Peter Herzog called it “win-win”. A 2010 letter from then Mayor Herzog revealed that he had been in private negotiations with the Sheriff`s office on the ICE issue for months but I didn’t find any mention of this in City Council records!

Quid quo pro? In the 2010 election, Herzog got the endorsement of the County Supervisor, Pat Bates. The expansion of Musick Jail was a pet project of Bates and the Sheriff. Was Herzog’s endorsement a "payoff" for his support of the Musick expansion?

And now that the ICE expansion is going to be followed by a $100,000,000 maximum security prison, Lake Forest remains silent. Herzog is silent again. Herzog’s hand-picked candidates for City Council have the County Supervisor’s endorsement for the 2012 election. Is this a new quid pro quo?

What Should The City Do?

The City of Lake Forest should join the City of Irvine in its lawsuit against the County. The County is moving forward based on an EIR that is outdated and no longer relevant. This lawsuit should not only seek to stop the construction of the $100,000,000 maximum security prison (scheduled to begin in February 2013), it should also seek to roll back the ICE program.

Next time – what can we do?