A six-member delegation from the Tianjin Prison Institute met with Department officials and toured the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana on Friday.
Chinese Delegation and Department personnel enter IRC
Photos by Deputy AJ Patella
The delegation was led by Luo Zhao, the Chinese equivalent of an American Sheriff, whose jurisdiction in the city of Tianjin (population 10 million) about 80 miles from Beijing, includes 10 jails with about 20,000 inmates.
Undersheriff John Scott, Assistant Sheriff Mike James and Commander Jay LeFlore described the Orange County Jail system, the 8th largest in the United States, with five jails in three locations, housing an average 5,500 inmates a day, with 65,000 bookings annually.
The Chinese prison officials asked about the difference between county jails, state prisons and federal penitentiaries. They were surprised to learn that inmates are not paid to work but instead work to win early release.
Tianjin "Sheriff" Luo Zhao presents Undersheriff John Scott and Assistant
Sheriff Mike James with plaque
Commander LeFlore explained that the best chance an inmate has to win early release is to obey the rules. Inmates can have their sentence reduced by as much as a third for good behavior.
Assistant Sheriff Mike James said that inmates sentenced to serve time at the Orange County Jail serve the highest percentage of their sentence of any other county jail in California.
Lieutenant Kirk LaPean explains booking process to the Chinese delegation
Undersheriff Scott noted that most of the inmates, including some classified as extremely violent, are held for trial and if convicted are transferred to serve their sentence in state prison.
Mr. Zhao said that inmates in China can have their sentence reduced by as much as 50 percent.
The Chinese delegates were very interested in the low number of successful escapes there have been from the Orange County Jail.
Deputy Jason McLennan explains Live Scan Fingerprint System
The last escape from inside the institution took place in 1987, when four high-profile inmates escaped from the roof of the Men’s Central Jail.
"The effort to prevent escapes continues every minute of every day," Assistant Sheriff James said.
“We don’t use the E-word,” he said.
Delegation inspects a Mod
At the end of the conference, Commander LeFlore gave each of the delegates a “Challenge Coin” from the Theo Lacy Facility.
“It’s a symbol of pride in the work location,” he said.
The Chinese delegates presented a plaque to Undersheriff Scott, along with their equivalent of challenge coins.
The delegation was then taken on a tour of the IRC, ushered through the facility as if they had been arrested on the street and brought in for booking.
Delegation inspects an isolation cell