Shane361
Well-Known Member
Budget crisis may force California to release prisoners
Posted: May 12, 2009, 8:20 AM by Drew Hasselback
The fiscal situation is California is so bad ... (and this is where you chime in with, "How bad is it?") ... that the state may need to lay off prisoners.
Seriously.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning Californians that the state's budget deficit has grown so large he may need to take a series of drastic actions, which may include the firing of 51,000 teachers or the release of 40,000 non-violent prisoners.
Prisoner release is a budgetary option that would save the state millions. A U.S. federal appeals court ruled last February that reducing California's prison population by 57,000 would save some US$900-million a year because of the costs associated with overcrowding. California's 33 prisons were designed for 84,000 inmates, but actually hold more than 150,000.
So is this good news for that massive chunk of the Californian prison population that hopes to win early release due to the budget crunch? Probably not. Californians are being asked to vote on six propositions on May 19 that would change taxation and spending rules to help fill the budgetary gap. Five of the six options are trailing in opinion polls. Opponents of the ballot measures say the Governor is just fear mongering.
Schwarzenegger himself denies that he's using scare tactics:
"I think it is very important for people to know there are consequences if the initiatives don't pass."
"I don't like to use scare tactics or anything like this, but the reality of it is is that there will be US$6-billion more in cuts that need to be made because the initiatives bring us the US$6-billion through the Lottery and Propositions 63 and 10. So it will be devastating, if it is for emergency rooms, for instance, the fire department, for teachers, a lot more teachers have to be laid off and so on."
Drew Hasselback
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...ay-force-california-to-release-prisoners.aspx
Posted: May 12, 2009, 8:20 AM by Drew Hasselback
The fiscal situation is California is so bad ... (and this is where you chime in with, "How bad is it?") ... that the state may need to lay off prisoners.
Seriously.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning Californians that the state's budget deficit has grown so large he may need to take a series of drastic actions, which may include the firing of 51,000 teachers or the release of 40,000 non-violent prisoners.
Prisoner release is a budgetary option that would save the state millions. A U.S. federal appeals court ruled last February that reducing California's prison population by 57,000 would save some US$900-million a year because of the costs associated with overcrowding. California's 33 prisons were designed for 84,000 inmates, but actually hold more than 150,000.
So is this good news for that massive chunk of the Californian prison population that hopes to win early release due to the budget crunch? Probably not. Californians are being asked to vote on six propositions on May 19 that would change taxation and spending rules to help fill the budgetary gap. Five of the six options are trailing in opinion polls. Opponents of the ballot measures say the Governor is just fear mongering.
Schwarzenegger himself denies that he's using scare tactics:
"I think it is very important for people to know there are consequences if the initiatives don't pass."
"I don't like to use scare tactics or anything like this, but the reality of it is is that there will be US$6-billion more in cuts that need to be made because the initiatives bring us the US$6-billion through the Lottery and Propositions 63 and 10. So it will be devastating, if it is for emergency rooms, for instance, the fire department, for teachers, a lot more teachers have to be laid off and so on."
Drew Hasselback
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...ay-force-california-to-release-prisoners.aspx
Tax payers SHOULD NOT pay for for those who no not PAY TAXES. WTH!?!?!?! Are we not speaking English???? Why cant the government understand this?
nonono