Los Angeles and in fact all of California is so broke it can’t pay attention. One way to save money is to release prison inmates but, critics worry that will spike crime, and it appears valid. The flood of convicts coincides with dismal budget predictions in most cities and counties with some calling for big cuts in law enforcement. In Santa Barbara County one forecast is to cut over a hundred positions from the Sheriff’s Department to at least scab over a $39 million hole.

In Fresno the Police Department said early jail releases are partly to blame for a rise in stolen cars. The Fresno Chief said there's a direct correlation between the one thousand early releases and car theft rates that are up 65%.

More than 1,500 inmates have been released from county jails around California in response to legislation designed to cut the state prison population, prompting an outcry from some law enforcement officials.

More than 300 inmates have been released in Orange County in the last few weeks and about 200 in Sacramento County, including a man who allegedly assaulted a woman hours after getting early release from jail. At least in part that prompted a Sacramento judge to order the releases stopped saying the eraly release law only applies to state prisons and not local jails.

That judge sided with the deputy sheriff's union, which filed suit against the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department to block the releases.

Officials in Sacramento, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and other counties have said their legal counsels advised them that the law did apply to county jails, and they created release plans when the law took effect in January. An Orange County judge refused to end the early releases there.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department takes the opposite position and has not released any inmates early because of the law. L.A. County requires that most male inmates serve 80% of their sentence, and officials said they won't reduce that requirement because of the new State law.

But, it is an ill wind that does blow someone some good. Like some gun shop owners that credit the early release scheme for a Christmas-like season as citizens a buy guns and stock up on ammunition to protect themselves.

Sounds like a prescription for disaaster – what do you think?