Gov. Schwarzenegger recently signed contracts with two private prison operations to transfer 2,200 inmates (all volunteers) out of state to save money and unburden California's overcrowded prisons. Currently, 173,000 inmates are packed into 33 facilities designed for only 81,000, and space will run out by June.
State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, expressed discontent over "prison for profit" endeavors, saying she'll push for more funding for rehab programs and a re-examination of state and parole sentencing rules, seeking alternatives for those who don't really belong in prison. Lawsuits have been filed to block the transfers, creating conflict where none should exist.
Both sides are right. Temporary inmate transfers would buy the time needed to develop a better system.
There are bad people in prison who need a traditional lockdown environment. Some inmates glorify their criminal lifestyles out of ignorance or immaturity, but most of the adult prison population is not beyond redemption.
They have the same morals as mainstream society but had to compromise some as a means for survival. When petty thieves and drug offenders are thrown into the mix with career criminals and murderers and are stripped of their identities and assigned a number and code based on their mistakes, they start believing that where they are represents who they are or, inevitably, what they will become. Learned behavior is adapted as their own while messages telling them they must "admit powerlessness" brainwash everyone into thinking relapse is an acceptable excuse for victimizing society.
Throw these people back on the street jobless and in debt to the county, with unresolved addiction issues, and it should be immediately clear why two out of three will return to prison within two years. Parole officers are frustrated, unable to help because their entire budget is consumed housing sexually violent predators that shouldn't be out in the first place.
Local rehab facilities like the Alpha Project in Vista and Freedom Ranch in San Diego have waiting lists because ex-inmates realize it's their only hope for overcoming all their obstacles for a successful transition into society. These programs provide shelter and food (in exchange for chores), drug treatment and counseling, and they contract with local companies to provide jobs once participants are secure in their recovery. Debts are paid and money is saved in individual accounts, which allows people to re-enter society without resorting to crime.
I've personally seen three family members and two friends turn their lives around with help from these programs. All have been out of trouble for more than two years, with no signs of problems ahead. Expanding these facilities on a large scale would be money well spent. They should serve as a model for the future of adult correctional facilities.
We can either spend $8.75 billion this year to correct nothing, or we can be smart and build facilities enabling offsite employment, requiring inmates to contribute a percentage of their pay. The result would be a functioning system that funds itself and generates income tax revenue for the state.
Laurel Kaskurs lives in Oceanside.
