California governor calls for $11 billion prison reform

[madmusic]

Dec 21, 2006 — SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday proposed an $11 billion plan to repair and expand California's troubled prison system.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2744925

How many billions did BushCo get at first for the Iraq invasion?

[Orsino]

1. ...so they can cram more prisoners in.

It's big bucks for somebody.

[Missy M]

2. It would be better if they would repair and downsize, not expand...

we are throwing some people in prison for the most ridiculous reasons.

[Sequoia]

5. and kill men on death row.

He wants to make sure California keeps and does the death penalty. Build more prisions so he can rake in the money. Special interest, you bet.

[madmusic]

3. Schwarzenegger's Press Office Admits Prison Guards Union Was Calling the Shots Last Year

Yesterday the LA Times ran an article with the headline: "Governor's aides stymied prison reform, ex-prison chiefs say". It starts off:

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2006/12/schwarzeneggers_7.html

[anitar1]

4. The old Repug mantra, privatization is the aim.

And breaking the union, if possible.

[madmusic]

6. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

The union is behind this.

[GreenTea]

7. Wrong! The corporate prison system is behind it...while the workers are union- CHEERS FOR UNIONS!

The privatization for corporations interest and profit (as all corporations steal and cut corners for even more profit)...It's republican ideology to privatize EVERYTHING...Once they do they find ways to get rid of the unions.

SUPPORT UNIONS!

The workers only united voice looking out for the workers...certainly NOT the corporations or management, they don't give a shit about the workers....they only look for ways to cut wages & salaries as well as benefits to expand their corporate profits....Only Unions fight to keep wages & salaries higher and workers benefits from being diluted!!!

SUPPORT UNIONS!

[madmusic]

8. They are not a union...

Not in the traditional sense. Unions concentrate on pay, benefits and working conditions. They are http://www.cjcj.org/cpp/strong_arm.html">The Strong Arm of the Law.

[Porcupine]

9. They are a band of vampires bleeding california dry.

I'm sick of the prison state while my kids come home from school once a month with some cookie-candy-magazine fundraiser.

I say the prison system needs about 11 billion LESS than they got last year.

[madmusic]

10. Spend the money on drug and mental health treatment...

And education/vocational rehabilitation for non-violent offenders.

Washington State found some of them damn liberal programs actually work (evidence based).

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/06-10-1201.pdf">Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Future Prison Construction, Criminal Justice Costs, and Crime Rates

Steve Aos, Marna Miller, Elizabeth Drake
Under current long-term forecasts, Washington State faces the need to construct several new prisons in the next two decades. Since new prisons are costly, the 2005 Washington Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to project whether there are “evidence-based” options that can: a) reduce the future need for prison beds, b) save money for state and local taxpayers, and c) contribute to lower crime rates. This report describes our findings and discusses how we conducted the analysis. We review evidence-based adult corrections, juvenile corrections, and prevention options and analyze the effects of alternative portfolios of these investments.

They found the state does not have to build new prisons but could reduce crime by investing in evidence based programs instead. All the conservatives have going for them right now is "tough on crime" and they are wrong too often. They have NOTHING else to campaign on. Time to put some common sense back into the debate.

[High Plains]

12. No way will I support the California prison guards union.

The union always lobbies for more crimes, tougher sentences. Fuck them screws.

[bobbolink]

11. $11billion would go far to eliminate poverty in CA, which would reduce crime

tremendously.

But, then, of course, that money would be going to poor folk, and not to the corporations involved with prisons.

What priorities we have.

:mad: