Today on NBC’s Meet the Press, California’s Governor Arnold Schwarenegger told Tim Russert that one of the top concerns of his second term will be reform of that state’s festering prison system. This is good news if he means it. Right now California’s prisons, like most of the others in the US, are dangerous and expensive joke. A couple of years ago the guards at California prisons won a labor dispute with then Governor Gray Davis and became among the highest paid civil servants in the state with salaries after overtime often exceeding $150,000 per year. Given their high pay the taxpayers can expect much better performance from them than they have been getting.
Let’s start with drugs. In California prisons every type of illegal drug is available to inmates for a price. Where do the drugs come from? Now, the prisoners obviously can’t leave to cop; their visitors are thoroughly searched and cannot be the source; that only leaves the prison staff. I don’t think it is too much to ask of the these highly paid “servants” of the people to live on their swollen salaries and refrain from augmenting their incomes by drug trafficking. In fact Arnold’s point of attack for prison reform should begin right here. He needs to launch a major undercover investigation of these scum with badges and clean out the dealers from the ranks of the guards, doling out maximum sentences for those caught. If we can’t win the war of drugs in prisons, what chance do we have on the street? Think about it.
Next, the gangs which plague the whole state but particularly the largest cities — Los Angeles has an estimate street gang population in excess of 20,000 armed and dangerous felons, about equal to the Sadr Army in Baghdad — are under the current situation able to carry on business as usual while incarcerated through the use of cell phones. Whatever happened to the “one phone call” rule? Obviously an easy step in taking back control of the prison and the street would be to install equipment to jam and block all cell phone activity in and around every prison. The staff have access to land-lines and authorized and supervised calls from inmates could be made from them, but the illegal command and control of the street gang from their bosses in prison could be interupted and seriously weakened by this simple move.
In his discussion with Tim Russert, Schwarzenegger made the usual noises about rehabilitation, job training and so on as if this was a real option for the demented, drug and alcohol damaged sociopaths who constitute the problem. A more imaginative answer, and a cost-effective one too, would be to consider out-sourcing the imprisonment of our hard-core convicts to other countries, just like we out-source our jobs. Why not have the Mexicans run some of our prisons, and also the Chinese? It would save the taxpayers a bundle and would guarantee convicted gang leaders would never control the street action again.
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3 users commented in " What to do about California’s prisons? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWow, for a grammatically challenged individual you still have “NO” clue about the truth behind bars. If you did your research you would have revealed the way politicians tie correctional officers hands behind their backs! Statistics have proven that 98.7% of narcotics trafficked into California prisons is by non-custody free staff (Not Correctional Officers). It’s not like the movies buddy. Officers risk their necks every day and are heavily scrutinized; especially by ignorant fools like yourself. An average of 10 officers are assaulted each day in California prisons. Well, if they were a bunch of dope smugglers they would have a little more love don’t you think? These are men and women working a tough beat. Show some respect. Actually, since you have all the answers, why don’t you do it yourself? The average of dirty officers in The CDC is nearly identical to a majority of police agencies. It’s a fact. The sad thing is when an intellectually challenged fool like yourself hears one story about a dirty cop he has to insult the whole agency. Don’t make attempts at knowledgeable information unless you know the details; do some research first. Also, get an education.
to call us servants, and to think that the correctional officers are the actual drug trafficers is insane. Maybe “Arnie ” needs to spend a day at a real prison (on visiting day) and see how it is really. This man has no business being in politics.
There are numerous “busts” of visitors carying narcotics at our little prison in Susanville. The governator has not a clue as to the real problems within an institution. Yes there has been staff that have been caught “muling” contraband into these systems. The biggest problem is that corrections is like a FART in the ventilation system. you know someone did it, but not who! When you start bashing the “CORRECTIONAL OFFICER” not “GUARDS” you do so without a true understanding of the contribution the correctional systems are to thier state. For example where would you keep Charlie Manson if it was not for CDCR? You cannot shoot him as the liberals won’t allow it. You cannot lock him in a box as the courts will not allow it. And you cannot let him loose on society (though technically he murdered no one). Well we keep him safe from other inmates and he is not prowling your neighborhood. Where would the peace Officers put these convicted felons if not for these prisons. And finally how much would you want to get paid to work around co workers that are 100% convicted felons! Oh by the way there are many inmates that make Charlie look like a member of the PTA. They will be paroling to your town soon.
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