Comments on: Crime Hikes Don't Cause Prison Crowds

By: Frank Courser

Frank Courser — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:04:36 +0000

I would like to correct the authors. AB900 is a $7.7 billion dollar bill,$7.4 billion coming from the sale of lease revenue bonds,$300 million from the general fund. Jail Beds. The measure allocated about
$1.2 billion to help counties construct local
jail facilities to help address overcrowding
in these facilities. In order to receive these
funds, a county must have identified a site
for a reentry facility. The counties did not want reentry facilities which were no more than mini prisons. The language in AB900 has changed several time to give the state more flexibility. It would serve the authors well to read the entire bill and the changes. It honestly is a waste of taxpayer dollars and as I have stated many times over The true answer is sentencing reform and parole reform. California’s prison system grew 700% in the last 3 decades, California citizens did not somehow become 700% more dangerous than before.It is irrational and absurd California keep the present number of inmates in prisons or jails!Musical chairs even at a savings does not solve the bigger picture.As justice Kennedy stated ” we send too many people to prison for too long”.

By: Rich mckone

Rich mckone — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:05:45 +0000

Counties can house almost an unlimited number of inmates in contact facilities like other state have done for years.

By: StevefromSacto

StevefromSacto — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:56:11 +0000

Gee. guys, you missed an obvious solution to the prison problem: More executions. Not only would that please the right-wingers and the Vengence Lobby, it would also reduce prison overcrowing.

By: NormD

NormD — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:26:17 +0000

Link to California Coalition on Corrections is broken

Aren’t county jail guards unionized? Why do jails cost less?

If bed shortage is “at county level” how can we transfer to county?

Whats a “correctional contract facility”? Why does it save money?

Do local communities want prisoners transferred to the state and away from them?

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:46:45 +0000

Can’t speak for L.A., but when the Legislature passed that prison bond, it was also intended to include money to expand local jails — and I recall that space was, in nearly all counties, very scarce. That’s certainly the case in our northern neck of the woods.

And back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, when it wasn’t the case, Shasta County did take some contract prisoners from the state — but I recall there were issues with the state paying its bills on time. Plus ca change …

By: Wayne Lusvardi

Wayne Lusvardi — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 04:26:07 +0000

I was hoping that my co-author Rich McKone would respond to Bruce’s comment. As I understand it, the state could, but is not, contracting with County jails to take prisoners. I believe, if a County does not have enough beds the state can contract with another County that does have enough beds. The problem which Mr. McKone has identified can not be solved by a $6 billion bond to build more prisons that will raise the cost of incarceration of the less-serious offenders and bust the state budget. I believe the big brand new jail in downtown LA is sitting empty.

This is what you get when you don’t have markets – no choice and the only choice is the highest cost.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:29:34 +0000

Sounds senible, but you’ve still got to deal with the “severe county jail bed shortage.”

By: David from Oceanside

David from Oceanside — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:24:38 +0000

Pretty eye glazing stuff but again we see public employee unions at the heart of the problem.