DA's Full Statement Regarding Jail Report Card

“I tell my prosecutors to concentrate on keeping in jail the repeat offenders, so we shouldn’t be surprised to see more repeat offenders than first-time offenders in jail. This is especially true now that the federal task force has helpfully increased arrests of repeat offenders by serving outstanding warrants.

It’s disappointing that the report doesn’t break down the jail population by offense type, since many of those in jail are there for less serious offenses. For them, the best way to reduce recidivism is to require rehabilitation so they don’t go back to their old life upon release from prison—something else our office has doubled down on in recent years.

All in all, this report supports our smart-on-crime efforts—it’s precisely the repeat offenders that we need to be keeping in jail.”