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| California prison system 'collapsing under its own weight,' Schwarzenegger says |
| By latimes.com |
| Published: 08/20/2009 |
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In a visit to the Chino facility where inmates rioted Aug. 8, the governor complains that politicians have 'swept the problem under the rug for so long.' Reporting from Sacramento - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, after touring the site where a major prison riot occurred 12 days ago, said Wednesday that the state's prison system is "collapsing under its own weight" and called on lawmakers to make changes that could reduce overcrowding and spending on inmates. The governor and his corrections chief, Matt Cate, walked through the destruction at a housing unit for prisoners at the California Institution for Men in Chino, where 1,300 inmates rioted on the evening of Aug. 8. The prison housed nearly 6,000 prisoners, twice the number for which it was designed. About 1,200 beds were lost due to the damage, forcing the state to transfer inmates to other facilities. Schwarzenegger, who used to visit prisons to work out with inmates as a bodybuilder in the 1970s, said the system has vastly changed since then, with California now spending almost $49,000 a year -- far more than other states -- to incarcerate a single inmate in a system that is "very, very dangerous." Read More. |
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The law makers have known of the overcrowding for 20 years, why now are they willing to attempt to do something about it? Maybe think about "private prisons"... i know i know not everyone is perfect and the california state systems has proved it... but swallow you guys' pride and look into it.I'm not for the inmates but if you want to stop the sewer from leaking you gotta find the leak and fix it.