By With California prisons becoming more crowded each year, Gov. Jerry Brown has launched a controversial plan to combat the rising inmate population.
Brown’s plan comes after a federal court ordered him to remove 9,600 inmates by Feb. 24, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state currently houses approximately 9,000 inmates out of state.
After the court order, Brown peititioned the U.S. Supreme Court to allow him to send thousands of prisoners to out-of-state facilities, according to the LA Times.
While we understand that prison overcrowding is a pressing issue, we disagree with Brown’s plan to send prisoners out of the state.
Sending prisoners to out-of-state or private in-state facilities is a waste of taxpayer dollars and resources.
Earlier this month, Brown approved an arrangement to help alleviate prison overcrowding. The deal required the state to pay $28.5 million to a private in-state prison facility to house 2,304 inmates.
Is housing 2,304 inmates worth $28.5 million?
Even though he agreed to send 2,304 inmates to a private in-state prison facility, Brown still needs to relocate 9,600 inmates by next year. The cost of such a move will undoubtedly cost millions of taxpayer dollars, much more than $28.5 million.
It seems like Brown is looking at the wrong side of the issue.
Instead of worrying about what to do with overcrowded prisons, he should be more focused on preventing prisons from becoming overcrowded in the first place.
Also, instead of shipping prisoners to private, out-of-state facilities, Brown should reconsider releasing low-level offenders back into society.
Should we spend millions of dollars to imprison someone for having less than an ounce of marijuana on his or her person?
Reducing the number of people sent to prison, including those who commit low-level drug crimes, would prevent overcrowding in the future.
In addition, Brown should focus on funding rehabilitation programs. Ensuring that offenders do not repeat criminal activities could help alleviate prison overcrowding in the future.
While this issue is complex and deserves much attention, Brown cannot simply push the issue aside by paying out-of-state companies to house California prisoners.
