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Calif. Inmates to Get Orange Undies
- By The Associated Press

(09-27) 13:53 PDT Ventura, Calif. (AP) --

The Sheriff's Department came up with a bright idea to stop male inmates from leaving the jailhouse with county-issued underwear: socks, skivvies and shirts are now dyed orange. Some $50,000 is spent each year for inmate underwear.

"We just keep losing horrendous amounts of that property," said Kathy Kemp, chief deputy of the Sheriff's Department's detention services division. The division's tight budget led to the orange undies plan.

"We think we'll be able to reduce the amount of clothes that inmates take with them," Cmdr. Brent Morris said.

About 1,400 male inmates will get orange undergarments.

Inmates who change from their jail jumpsuits to their street clothes will stand out in bright orange and they'll have to hand over their drawers before they leave, the department said.

The estimated 200 female inmates will keep using white underwear. There hasn't been a significant amount of underwear lost from the women's side, officials said.

URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/09/27/national/a135357D04.DTL