|
|
| Disarray in Juvenile Prisons Jolts Capital |
| By Los Angeles Times |
| Published: 02/09/2004 |
|
Already grappling with a staggering budget crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faces a growing consensus that the state's vast prison system is dysfunctional, corrupt and plagued by violence. Last week a series of reports hammered the juvenile system on all fronts, including the "decrepit" condition of its facilities, the "stunning" level of violence within its walls, and the substandard medical and psychiatric care it provides wards, as young inmates are called. Those disclosures followed a federal court investigator's report 10 days ago that the Department of Corrections, which runs the adult prison system, was plagued by a "code of silence" that protected rogue officers from punishment, corrupted recruits and was condoned by leaders at the very top. In recent years, such disclosures have sparked little interest at the Capitol, where most politicians have protected the nation's largest prison system and spared it from budget cuts. But times clearly have changed. Last week, the new governor told the Sacramento Press Club that "we have a big, big problem that we have inherited ... in our prisons: corruption and all kinds of things.... I take this very seriously, this problem that we have." Legislators too are giving greater scrutiny to correctional facilities, which account for almost $6 billion in state spending each year. Last Tuesday, state Sen. Gloria Romero (D- Los Angeles) offered her assessment of the reports released on the Youth Authority. The reports, based on visits and confidential interviews, were prepared by independent experts as part of a class action lawsuit by wards alleging inhumane conditions in the juvenile prisons. Calling those conditions "chilling," Romero joined two corrections experts in demanding immediate reforms - most notably, that the state stop isolating troublesome young convicts in steel-mesh cages not much bigger than phone booths. In January, top administration officials were called to answer tough questions before a Senate oversight committee; more hearings are planned later this month. One senator called the penal system "rotten," while another has suggested that the Department of Corrections is in such crisis that it might best be run by a federal court. Roderick Q. Hickman, Schwarzenegger's new head of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, has acknowledged "appalling" problems in the system and promised to root out corruption and push through reforms. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think