LA court, sherriff at odds in Hilton case

Los Angeles -- The Paris Hilton jail fiasco has brought to light the issue of who really controls the Los Angeles jail system.

The balance-of-power issue between the Los Angeles court and county Sheriff Lee Baca has been prominent for years, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

After Judge Michael T. Sauer ordered Hilton back to jail Friday, he criticized the sheriff's department for letting her out without his permission. Sauer also became the first judge to publicly challenge Baca's authority to release inmates from jail short of their full sentences.

"For decades, where (inmates) were housed and how they were housed was up to the sheriff's department," said Stan Goldman, a professor of criminal law and procedure at Loyola Law School. "Now that all may change, thanks to, of all people, Paris Hilton."

Hilton was let out of jail after serving only three days of her sentence and placed under house arrest before Sauer ordered her back to the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, Calif.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.