<p>The California state prison system provides a poignant example of how a government agency became dominated by a special interest.</p>
<p>Over the past 20 years, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) has held the state's correctional system in an ever-tightening grip. The union's control of state criminal justice policy has produced mismanagement and abuse that waste tax dollars and compromise the public interest.</p>