Under Court order, and being slammed by the Supreme Court, California prison officials and governor are scattering inmates around to reduce percentages of overcrowding. And guess where they can send them? The closed a women's prison and then re-opened it as a men's prison. Wah-lah! Better statistics for the courts. But what about the women now housed 8 to a 4-person cell? Surely this shell game can't fool all the people all the time? It's time for California (and all states, actually) to use Smart Sentencing and Smart Reductions. No they shouldn't release mass murderers. Got that. But drug users (arrested for possession but not even sale)? Invest some of that $45,000 prison tag per inmates on their job searches and education. Move women prisoners closer to home; let them visit with ankle bracelets. Good grief--we can do better than this!
Under Court order, and being slammed by the Supreme Court, California prison officials and governor are scattering inmates around to reduce percentages of overcrowding. And guess where they can send them? The closed a women’s prison and then re-opened it as a men’s prison. Wah-lah! Better statistics for the courts. But what about the women now housed 8 to a 4-person cell? Surely this shell game can’t fool all the people all the time? It’s time for California (and all states, actually) to use Smart Sentencing and Smart Reductions. No they shouldn’t release mass murderers. Got that. But drug users (arrested for possession but not even sale)? Invest some of that $45,000 prison tag per inmates on their job searches and education. Move women prisoners closer to home; let them visit with ankle bracelets. Good grief–we can do better than this!