Inmates at the Stanislaus County Honor Farm intentionally set two recent fires in an attempt to get home for Christmas, Sheriff Adam Christianson said. "But they're not going anywhere," he said.

The fires — one Saturday afternoon and the second late Monday, both in the inmate barracks — caused only minor damage and disruption to the facility, the sheriff said Tuesday, crediting staff and firefighters with quick response.

"This is a direct result of realignment," he said, adding that the fires were started by inmates who would have been in the state prison system if the Legislature hadn't passed a law returning them to local custody. The sheriff said the inmates believed that if they burned down the barracks, there wouldn't be anywhere to house them and officials would have no choice but to let them go.

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Modesto honor farm inmates set fires to get home for Christmas

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Now there is the kind of logic that sets criminals apart from the rest on full display.