Month: September 2016

Theophilus “Theo” Lacy,  was a farmer, stable operator, and former Santa Ana town treasurer. He was also Orange County’s second (1891-95) and fourth (1899-1911) sheriff. Because the county was principally agricultural and sparsely populated, however, Lacy didn’t have much to do other than chase vagrants, look into an (infrequent) fight or robbery, and oversee the simple… Continue reading The History of Theo Lacy and Orange County’s Jails

Is it a crime to be poor?   by Scott Miner Lightnin’ Hopkins, the most heavily recorded blues musician once wrote a song entitled “It’s a sin to be rich, it’s a low-down shame to be poor”. The United States Justice Department recently issued a ruling stating that holding defendants in jail is unconstitutional based on… Continue reading Is it a crime to be poor? (We don’t think so)