CA Jailers Move to Improve Anti-Escape Measures:  As the manhunt intensifies for the three inmates who escaped an Orange County jail Friday, sheriff's officials at the nine jails in the Inland Empire region of Southern California hope to learn how the prisoners managed the daring breakout to help improve the security of their own lockups.  Brian Rokos of the Press Enterprise reports that to prevent escapes, some facilities have constructed better fences, situated a deputy at the front gate to greet all arrivals and now escort all inmates to various locations inside the jails, including the low-level offenders who were previously allowed to walk freely.  Jail officials point to AB 109, passed in 2011 to ease prison overcrowding, as part of the problem since there are now more dangerous felons serving longer sentences in county jails throughout the state, giving them more time to plot an escape.  "We knew our facilities were not ready for this kind of inmate," said Shannon Dicus, deputy chief for corrections in San Bernardino County. 

New Orleans Officer Shot, Suspect Charged: A New Orleans sheriff's deputy was shot five times on Tuesday serving a warrant with federal drug agents. The AP reports that 35-year-old Deputy Stephen Arnold was in critical condition following the five shots, one of which entered his neck, and immediately rushed into surgery. It is unclear whether or not he has sustained neurological damage. The suspect, 26-year-old Jarvis Hardy, was taken into custody and charged with attempted first degree murder and narcotics violations.  

Homeless Camp Shooting Leaves 2 Dead:  A Tuesday night shooting at a Seattle homeless encampment known as "The Jungle" ended in the deaths of two homeless people and the wounding of three others.  Lisa Baumann of the AP reports that the particular encampment "has been unmanageable and out of control for decades," said Mayor Ed Murray, who declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness in November and now wonders if he acted too late.  Police are currently tracking down two persons of interest in the case and believe the shooting was "very targeted," assuring the public that it is not in any immediate danger.

Gov. Brown Doubles Down on Sentencing Reform:  Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown is to announce a ballot measure on Wednesday that would overhaul the state's current sentencing laws, likely reducing the length of time some felons serve in prison.  David Siders of the Sac Bee reports that Brown says he hopes to return to greater discretion in sentencing, moving away from the state's determinate sentencing system that he helped create in his previous years as governor.  When Brown took office in 2011, he enacted AB 109, also known as prison realignment, which resulted in the early release of thousands of felons, and last year, he vetoed several crime-related bills, including one focused on date rape, reasoning that "multiplication and particularization of criminal behavior" would make the state's criminal code more complex.  Brown's pro-criminal approach to criminal justice reform has and will continue to benefit felons like this one with a history of domestic violence charges, who was out on parole when he assaulted his estranged wife and injured her two-year-old child in the process.