[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

John McCainhas fired a shot across the bow against Barack Obama, telling reportersthat the latter's understanding of Iraq is outdated and that theyshould make a joint visit. Obama visited Iraq in 2006, before the surge.

Increasing numbers of border agents have been linked to smuggling people across the US-Mexico border, reports the LA Times.

California prisons are preparing to integrate cellmates, in compliance with a federal court mediation agreement ending the use of race as the sole factor in making cell assignments.

There's more... 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Experts warned members of the state Senate Education Committee that more school districts are heading into financial trouble as their enrollment and state funding decline.

Marilyn Dudley-Flores, CEO of OPS-Alaska, warns of the great American brain drain in the California Progress Report.

California's youth prisons are shrinking, but Alameda Superior Court Judge Jon S. Tigar hasworries about how the state is managing the remaining population. Tigarhas filed court papers indicating his intention to have a receivermanage the entire division.

There's more... 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Barbara Owen
Professor
Department of Criminology
California State University-Fresno

Introduction

As California leads the nation in irrational prison policy, a new report calls for major reforms to reduce the prison population. Unlocking America: Why and How to Reduce America's Prison Population, is co-authored by nine leading criminology and penal experts from around the country and relies on a thorough review of recent research into crime and incarceration. Several of these authors have researched the California system which serves as a cautionary tale of political and policy missteps.

Under current sentencing policies, the state and federal prison populations will grow by another 192,000 prisoners over the next five years, according to the report. Such an increase will force the nation to spend an additional $27.5 billion in prison construction and operation costs over the five-year period, in addition to the $60 billion now spent annually on corrections. In California, the annual cost is quickly approaching $10 billion per year. Recent legislation has called for many more billions to be spent on prison construction.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Paul Krekorian
Member
California State Assembly

California’s prisons are in crisis. The system is so grossly overcrowded that a federal judge is on the verge of taking control of it away from the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. If the overcrowding is not immediately remedied, the prisons may be forced to release felons early – possibly including murderers, gang leaders and others with a history of violence.

So why are we wasting bed space and guards on inmates who are in a coma?

The cost of imprisoning terminally ill and medically incapacitated prisoners is an unnecessary, exorbitant expense for California taxpayers, often exceeding $120,000 a year for a single inmate. Not only must the state pay for expensive end-of-life medical care, but also the cost of round-the-clock guards for a person who is incapable of posing any threat to society. Using correctional officers to guard such inmates also takes them away from more important security responsibilities, creating unnecessary risks to prison personnel, inmates and the public.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Panel convenes, plans speedy trial, and admonishes intervenors that "This is a judicial and not a political process" in lengthy hearing

By Frank D. Russo

A panel of three federal judges, convened under the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PRLA) to consider ordering the release of prisoners in the overcrowded California penal system because of years of deaths and serious health problems, held its first hearing in what was called by one of the attorneys a "shakeout hearing" to plan for a trial in two class action cases. Before them were 20 attorneys representing the State of California, prisoners, law enforcement, District Attorneys, counties, the legislature's Republicans, and the state's prison guards and an audience of about 75. Three hours later, at the end, Judge Thelton Henderson, thanked the attorneys and said "This has been helpful and exhausting."

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

There have been a number of statements issued by elected officials from Governor Schwarzenegger to both Democratic and Republican legislators that express varying opinions about yesterday's unprecedented decisions by two U.S. District Court judges in separate cases that a three judge panel should be convened to consider a prison population cap, early release of inmates, and other remedies for what all agree is an overcrowding of California's prisons.

This has made the national news, including the New York Times because it is the first time that a Federal law passed in 1996 has been invoked involving a state prison system--and not just any system, but the largest one in the United States.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]