SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper has reversed his position on providing cold-weather gear to jail inmates, with the county informing advocates late Tuesday that the sheriff will use inmate welfare funds to buy warm clothing for all inmates, advocates say.
The reversal comes one day after The Sacramento Bee reported that the county had rejected a plea from Prison Law Office advocates to provide warmer clothing at the Sacramento County Main Jail and Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center, where inmates were provided only short-sleeve T-shirts during recent winter storms in the region.
Patrick Booth, a staff attorney for the Prison Law Office, which advocates for the rights of inmates, said in an email statement late Tuesday that the sheriff had agreed to their request for more appropriate clothing for jail inmates.
