It isn't news to anyone that California's overcrowded prisons are a disaster. Last year, with barely a blip on the popular radar, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans to ease prison overcrowding by literally exporting the problem: flying inmates to out-of-state facilities. Today, the L.A. Times reports on a report by the Little Hoover Commission that all but admits the prisons are in a total meltdown:
The state's 33 prisons are packed to twice their intended capacity, with more than 16,000 inmates bunking in hallways, classrooms and other areas not designed as housing. Prison leaders say they will be out of room for new inmates by summer, and concern about riots is extremely high.
In Los Angeles, the gang issue is closely tied to the crisis in our county jails, which as the paper notes, have these crazy revolving doors, cycling criminals in and out and letting racial violence ooze into the streets and schools. In a cruel twist of irony, the AP now says incarcerated life can be good for your health. With the way our health system is going, prison has never sounded so good!