Posted on 09/01/2006 7:24:46 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering using emergency powers to ease crowding in the nation's largest state prison system, after lawmakers rejected his $6 billion prison building plan this week.
That could mean contracting with other states to take as many as 10,000 inmates and opening some buildings that are unused, such as a women's prison in Stockton and a youth detention center in Whittier. Schwarzenegger also could take money from other areas in the state budget to add prison beds at existing prisons.
"The administration has not ruled out any solution for the overcrowding problem," his communications director, Adam Mendelsohn, said Friday.
Schwarzenegger called a special session of the Legislature earlier this summer to address prison overcrowding. With 172,000 inmates, the California system is about 70 percent over capacity.
Corrections officials have said they will run out of space for new convicts by next June.
The plan Schwarzenegger submitted to lawmakers called for building two new prisons and several smaller regional lockups. The Democrat-controlled Legislature responded with a plan that would cost less than $1 billion but still would have allowed adding 5,340 beds.
Many Democrats prefer lowering the inmate population by reforming sentencing laws and the parole system, and by focusing greater attention on rehabilitation programs.
In the end, the Legislature never acted on the alternative plan, leaving the special session to fizzle.
Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, said Schwarzenegger could declare a public safety emergency and unilaterally ship some inmates to prisons in other states. Some states already have expressed interest in housing California inmates, said James Tilton, acting secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The governor had sought authority to transfer prisoners involuntary, but Democrats refused to act on the proposal.
In a statement after the legislative session ended at midnight Thursday, Schwarzenegger told his staff "to prepare administrative options that can be acted on immediately in order to relieve the dangerous overcrowding in our state prisons."
He said he wanted solutions that do not weaken the state's "three-strikes" law for repeat offenders, promote early release for dangerous felons or add to the overcrowding in county jails.
A majority of county jails in California already have voluntary or court-ordered population limits, triggering the premature release of some convicts and others awaiting trial.
"We release 10,000 people a month simply because of jail overcrowding," said Nick Warner, legislative director of the California State Sheriff's Association.
Overshadowing the debate is the potential for legal action. Many aspects of the corrections department are under court supervision, leading state officials to worry that a solution could be taken out of their hands.
Schwarzenegger has said federal judges could order some prisoners to be released early if crowding becomes too severe.
On Friday, Democratic legislative leaders said they want to work out a comprehensive prison reform plan next year.
But they also left the special session open, meaning lawmakers could be called back to the Capitol any time before December to deal with prison reform.
Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, who has pushed prison legislation, said Democrats who oppose Schwarzenegger acting unilaterally could use the special session to rein him in.
"Under an emergency order, all options are open to the governor," Spitzer said. "The Legislature may have to come back just to put the brakes on."
If there were no liberals and no illegals in that state, would they be having this problem? /rhetorical question>
Jailhouse fires?
Expedite the sentences of those on death row would free a few cells.
SHHH! Here's the part where Arnold morphs into his Terminator character and starts executing prisoners at random (cue the computerized LED numbers displaying the body count on the screen and a brief summary of what crimes the prisoners committed)
That was my first thought, but added to that the possible fact that most are probably illegal aliens, but I didn't post it because there's always someone who complains about "turning every thread into an illegal immigration thread", or at least they used to.
"We release 10,000 people a month simply because of jail overcrowding," said Nick Warner, legislative director of the California State Sheriff's Association.
Isn't Alcatraz still available? That one worked well for years, before we started requiring posh digs for society's dregs.
The court has by no means given the worst an easy ride. Three strikes is why the prisons are full, that and an influx of Mexican criminals due to our open border. Put them in tents in the Mojave. Problem solved.
And I agree, your headline is much more accurate and to the point.
Could some of the retired naval ships around Martinez be outfitted as prisons, towed, and moored off the Farallon Islands? Only shark bait would try escaping. Would the Great White Sharks organize and protest if we put prisons in their neighborhood?
It's been so long since I've been to that part of California I don't even know if the vessels are still there. But if they are, states may be able to acquire them from the federal government at little or no cost. Instant prison walls. Just add the proper outfitting.
reminds me of 1941; the necessity to employ the logistics is vital at this moment in our nation's history.
Here's an idea, stop feeding and housing them and start deporting them.
Here are just a few of the numerous benefits:
1) Stops the nonsense with and extraordinary cost of the correctional officers union
2) Saves the tax payer about 60 cents on every dollar currently spent
3) Provides a desperately needed source of employment for the host
4) Forcefully repatriates about 25% of California's inmate population without federal cooperation
5) The experience would lower the recidivism rate to almost 0.
6) The federally mandated, deluxe health care package would become a moot point.
7) Executions would be informally conducted without much fanfare and prison gate protests.
8) Drugs would not have to be first smuggled into California, to then be smuggled into the prisons. They could simply be sold to defray incarecration costs
Were to incarcerate California's convicted bad guys.
Mexico!
Hey gringo, you confused yet? /sarc
regrettably, you are correct, but they keep coming back, and we (I'm not talking french here) keep letting them.
Still available? 250 cells. Not too cost effective.
Chain gangs cleaning roadsides of trash and cutting weeds is OK with me. One guard in a pickup with a shotgun, one trustee with water and first aid kit keeps them busy all day. No one can run, and any trouble you go to solitary confinement in a small hot cell. Attmept to run from the camp and get shot.
What a mess.
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