California has been struggling with a hemorrhaging correctional budget for years. Last year the federal court ruled that the state must reduce the overcrowding in its prison system. One way the state sought to do this was by implementing a realignment policy. Inmates convicted of a low level offense were moved from state prisons to county jails. While this move opened up space in prisons for those convicted of serious crimes, it added more problems for county jails already struggling with their own budgets and population issues. So how does the state propose to stop the revolving door in the state’s prisons and jails?
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation began searching for way to improve the correctional system. One solution is to expand reentry programs in the prisons. The CDCR decided to put some of the space opened up by realignment to good use by utilizing it in the creation of more reentry programs.
According to KPCC Public Radio in Southern California, half of the state’s prisoners are from Los Angeles and the surrounding area. It made sense, therefore, to locate most of the new “reentry wings” in prisons close to the big cities where most inmates will return upon release. Inmates nearing the end of their sentences would be sent to a reentry wing in a prison closer to home. Inmates would be connected to community service providers in their area after completing their sentences. CDCR is also seeking additional proposals to reduce recidivism.
Speaking to KPCC, CDCR Spokesman Bill Sessa stated, “Our goal is to give them the skills so they think differently, behave differently, so when they go back to Los Angeles County, or any of the surrounding areas where they came from, they'll lead more constructive lives and the recidivism rate will be reduced." The $190 million budgeted to create the new prison-based reentry centers reflects the prevailing view that money spent on helping inmates with reentry can save the state millions more in correctional costs.
Source: KPCC Public Radio
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