California, in Financial Crisis, Opens Prison Doors

[steven johnson]

Source: NY Times

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
Published: March 23, 2010
LANCASTER, Calif. — The California budget crisis has forced the state to address a problem that expert panels and judges have wrangled over for decades: how to reduce prison overcrowding.

The state has begun in recent weeks the most significant changes since the 1970s to reduce overcrowding — and chip away at an astonishing 70 percent recidivism rate, the highest in the country — as the prison population becomes a major drag on the state’s crippled finances.

Many in the state still advocate a tough approach, with long sentences served in full, and some early problems with released inmates have given critics reason to complain. But fiscal reality , coupled with a court-ordered reduction in the prison population, is pouring cold water on old solutions like building more prisons.

About 11 percent of the state budget, or roughly $8 billion, goes to the penal system, putting it ahead of expenditures like higher education, an imbalance Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vowed to fix. The strains on the system are evident inside the state prison here, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, where 4,600 inmates fill buildings intended for half as many. A stuffy, cacophonous gymnasium houses nearly 150 people in triple-bunked beds stretching wall to wall.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/us/24calprisons.html?hp

---

The goal in California is to reduce the number of inmates in the state’s prisons next year by 6,500 — more than the entire state prison population in 2009 of Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah or West Virginia. In all, there are 167,000 prisoners in California. Wanna bet there will be some really colorful political ads about prisoners who return to the life of crime.

[Xipe Totec]

1. Bed & Breakfast?

I bet they could make money.

[sandnsea]

2. Health care reform will provide rehab and mental health

At least half of these guys will benefit. Too bad it doesn't kick in sooner than 2014.

[zalinda]

3. Why in the hell don't they release the guys

who are serving 25 year and up sentences for having small amounts of drugs? They should have never been in there in the first place. Although, given the economy, they may want to stay in to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.

zalinda

[depakid]

4. Until California reforms its probation and paole system, the revolving door will continue

[kestrel91316]

5. Schwarzedollar also just cut off funding for mass transit.

Because, god forbid we raise taxes on people as rich as him.

[No Elephants]

11. It's partly the fault of Californians. They keep voting against any tax increases.

[kestrel91316]

15. No, WE don't. The Constitution got changed years ago and it is virtually

impossible for the LEGISLATURE to pass tax increases. It takes a supermajority of them PLUS public approval, or some such nonsense, IIRC.

But yeah, if they would go back to taxes as they were on the wealthy and corporations instead of making the poor and middle class pay all the bills, things would improve. I doubt that will ever change. This state is idiotic.

[tomm2thumbs]

6. Davis got recalled and Arnold is still in office with all this?

guess folks got what they wanted

[defendandprotect]

7. Scanned article quickly, but see no mention of the "Drug War" ...

how is that going in California these days? Any changes?

Prisons/prisoners have always been a big FEAR issue for the public which the right wing

understand they can exploit. The public seems to have no idea that nationwide close to

a half million prisoners are released every year -- and that they must return to our

communities. Imprisoning people in brutal conditions where there is no opportunity for

them to reform and repair their lives makes no sense -- except to those with a strong

urge to punish and little else on their minds.

IMO, prisons do more harm than good --

Meanwhile . . .

Attorney General Jerry Brown, a Democrat who is running for governor, issued a directive clarifying the law, but not before one inmate in Sacramento was arrested shortly after his release and charged with attempting to rape a woman. The man had been released on probation after serving time on an assault charge.

When we talk about brutal imprisonment we have to seriously address RAPE in our prisons --

male-on-male rape* and rape of women, as reported by many in the system. It seems women

and males are being sold into sexual slavery of a kind in some of our prisons.

But coming back to the specifics of a release and then a rape . . . those who study this

suggest that hetereosexual males raped in prison will often immediately rape a woman on

their release to "prove their manhood"!


Needless to say, the Drug War should be ended in the US -- it is only producing more crime

and corruption of our government and agencies and strengthening right wing authoritarian

control over our system. The Drug War has done great damage to our society.

Poverty breeds crime -- The wealthy among us steal from the public and government and then

profit from the imprisonment of those they have impoverished!



* the number I recall is probably ten years old -- at that time 280,000 males per year raped.

[earcandle]

8. Those prisons for profits were unconstitutional anyway. Free everyone but the murderers, but rehab

them in occupational therapy so they don't go back.
that is what we used to do.  Lets get back to basics. 

[pipoman]

9. Only murderers?

Uh, how about rapists, child molesters, armed robbers, organized criminals, etc. How naive to think 'rehab' is an effective alternative to incarceration in every case...hopefully they all move to your neighborhood, those poor unfortunate souls..

[earcandle]

21. some priests are child molesters, I don't see them going to jail or being followed about. sure...

your list of criminals are bigger and better than mine.

but your thoughts are really ugly.   sorry you want them
to move to my neighborhood.  

what did I ever to you? 

you are nasty. clean out your mouth with soap and go to your
room
until you learn how to be nice in your posts.  it may take a
while,
but you can do it.  just leave out the ill will. that will do
it. 

good luck.  

[Catshrink]

10. Educating a child is cheaper

than incarcerating him/her.

[No Elephants]

12. California used to be quite good at educating California residents.

Then, some court held that restricting the benefits to Californians violated the Constitution.

[closeupready]

14. Pesky thing, that Constitution.

n/t

[Catshrink]

19. Quaint.

[Stumbler]

16. Yep. "Better to build schools for boys than gallows & prisons for men."

Turns out it's cheaper and provides greater returns on investments as well...

[vaberella]

13. Fuckin' idiots. All they need to do is legalize marijuana and shit is done. n/t

[femrap]

17. Please release the

pot smokers and not the violent assholes. Thank you.

[LynneSin]

18. What's sad is some of those 'criminals' went in there for such stupid *#$*

like smoking pot.

And perhaps they weren't truly criminals going in, the system probably made them into criminals leaving the system.

[Duer 157099]

20. Crap. There goes my retirement plans n/t