Election Section

Criminals, victims sometimes put in same cells in current California penal system 

LOS ANGELES – Many California courts cannot separate criminals from victims because they lack adequate security and are in need of extensive repairs that will cost nearly $3 billion over 10 years, a state task force reported Thursday. 

The three-year study found that 21 percent of all California courtrooms are deficient in some way, mostly due to poor security. The task force will issue a final report in October and send it to the Legislature. 

“A courthouse’s ability — or inability — to separate adversarial parties or criminal defendants from their opponents and victims . . . can have a dramatic impact on public safety and the integrity of the judicial system,” the task force said Thursday in calling for the costly repairs and renovations. 

In Los Angeles County, 20 of 69 court buildings had insufficient security while five of 12 courts in Orange County were marginally deficient, according to the task force. In Riverside County, six of 21 were said to be deficient and one was even ranked among the five worst in the state. 

One of five buildings in Ventura County were found to be marginally deficient, while in San Diego five of 22 were listed below par. 

The report recommended security improvements at court entrances, separating defendants from staff and the public, and providing more space for juries. It also called for structural improvements such as reroofing old buildings, replacing ventilation systems, bringing buildings up to modern fire and earthquake standards, and providing better access for the disabled. 

The state assumed funding for trial courts in 1998, but left building operations in the hands of the counties. The task force was appointed to help the Legislature decide whether the state should also take over the care of the buildings. 

The report recommends such a transfer, estimating the state will need to spend at least $281 million each year for 10 years to fix the problems. 

In addition, the operation and maintenance of the buildings will cost about $140 million each year, the report said. 

What’s more, the state needs to spend $104 million a year over the next 20 years on new buildings to accommodate its growing population, according to the report. 

California currently spends about $2.3 billion a year, or 2.7 percent of its budget, for courts.