Corrections officers at Norco prison make plea to state to keep it open

"Correctional officers at the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco have started writing Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to keep the prison open, presenting it as an option to alleviate the overpopulation in county jails. California began placing some convicted felons in county jails in 2011, after the Supreme Court ruled that the overcrowding in state prisons resulted in cruel and unusual punishment. Now, according to the lawsuit Bonta brought against Los Angeles County on Sept. 8, the county's jails are overcrowded and uninhabitable."

"In March, 878 inmates held at Los Angeles County jail were convicted felons, according to a Sheriff's Department report. That's 7% of the population. "They're causing the issue by keeping them in counties, so they say their numbers are down, so they're closing prisons," said Correctional Officer Jeremiah Rohbock, who wrote the initial letter. The Norco prison has open beds, low costs per inmate and more rehabilitation and certification programs than most prisons, Rohbock added."

"The CDCR's weekly report says that the prison has 2,460 inmates, and was designed for 1,822. Rohbock said the facility has enough beds to add additional inmates. There are eight criteria the CDCR uses to identify which prisons close. Those include population trends, operational costs, facility condition, geographic considerations, impact on staff, program availability, legislative directives and public safety considerations."

Correctional officers at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco have written Attorney General Rob Bonta urging the prison remain open as an option to ease county jail overpopulation. California began placing some convicted felons in county jails in 2011 after a Supreme Court ruling that prison overcrowding constituted cruel and unusual punishment. A lawsuit alleges Los Angeles County jails are overcrowded and uninhabitable, with 878 convicted felons in March, about 7% of the population. Officers say CRC has open beds, lower per-inmate costs and more rehabilitation programs. CDCR reports 2,460 inmates in a facility designed for 1,822 and uses eight criteria to decide closures.

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