Sacramento Sidestep

It's become a familar dance in Sacramento among
politicians. They call it a compromise but to me it's
the old bait and switch with a twist. Here's how it
works. The state is under the gun by the feds to
ease overcrowding by June which won't happen
under this new plan. So they quickly pass legislation
to add more beds and institute rehabilitation
programs that will take months if not years to put
into effect.

The issue of easing overcrowding now is shifted back
into the hands of the feds because the only way to
relieve overcrowding now is to release a certain amount
of inmates immediately which state leaders are afraid to
do because this looks to voters that they are soft on crime.
So either the feds accept what they've put on the table or
the state lets them tackle the overcrowding issue. Either
way the state politicians can't be blammed for any early
releases the feds may order to ease immediate overcrow-
ding because they've submitted a plan. Now thats what I
call crafty legtislation.

Facing mounting pressure from the federal courts, legislative leaders and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed Wednesday to spend $7.4 billion on new jail and prison beds while doing more to help inmates succeed once released. The complex deal, reached after weeks of negotiations, represents an effort to ease overcrowding in California's sprawling correctional system, where 172,000 convicts are packed into space intended for about 100,000.

The crowding crisis has become so severe that federal judges, who already control large portions of the state system, are considering whether to cap the inmate population. Hearings on that issue are set for June.The deal, which would create 53,000 beds at prisons, jails and new urban "reentry" centers, is set for a vote in the Legislature today. Contained in an urgency bill, it requires approval by two-thirds of the members in each house and would take effect immediately. The beds would be funded by lease revenue bonds, which do not require voters' approval.The bill would also break new ground by giving the governor temporary authority to transfer up to 8,000 inmates to out-of-state facilities against their will.

Schwarzenegger initiated such transfers in October to free up space and moved 350 inmates, all volunteers. But the transfers were stalled by the courts after unions challenged the governor's authority to order them.Senate Democratic leader Don Perata (D-Oakland) praised the agreement as a balanced response to the prison crisis that would reduce the state's alarming recidivism rate.

"Every negotiation requires compromise, and this agreement provides both a big increase in prison beds as well as a strong commitment to rehabilitation programs and greater oversight of the Department of Corrections," Perata said. In a statement, Schwarzenegger said that after ignoring the prison crisis for decades, California was on the verge of making history.




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