California Youth Authority reform

Correct state corrections

Don't get the wrong idea about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's prison-reform proposal that centers on rehabilitation. He's no girlie-man. Just because he believes, as he said, “the purpose of corrections should be to correct' doesn't mean he's gone soft. To the contrary, the governor sees rehabilitation as a cost-saver in the long run, keeping recidivism to a minimum. Now almost 60 percent of those released from the state penal system return within three years. Schwarzenegger wants them to make it on the outside, so they'll no longer turn to crime and end up lifelong wards of the state, albeit behind bars. A goal worth pursuing. But already the naysayers are whining that his proposals aren't enough, the guards miffed because he didn't consult them. Of course the initial proposal isn't enough but it's a step, and one we believe is in the right direction. It's heartening that instead of reinvention of the wheel, Schwarzenegger's administration will cull the best programs from around the nation. That's not only smart, but will put reform in place much sooner. Of course the governor and his administration didn't consult prison guards; they're part of the problem and so must be part of the reformation.

It seems every 5-to-10 years, the Legislature and public become outraged at the penal system that's devolved into an organized crime family with some prison guards acting as dons. This time around, local Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, was instrumental in peeling back the layers of corruption and wrongdoing with a series of hearings that, again, made headlines. Conditions in the California Youth Authority are especially egregious where brutality passes for discipline and drug-induced stupors substitute for mental-health care. The people of California have been promised prison reform before, and always before, no genuine changes were forthcoming. It took a court order to force overhaul of CYA and under new director Walt Allen, we expect to see those mandates met. Like Schwarzenegger, the former local politician is a man of compassion and has already dismantled the hated cages in which wards were placed for instruction. Needed, the former administration said, for teacher safety. Schwarzenegger has a real opportunity to make a difference in the lives of prisoners and for state taxpayers, who should see their money go for something better than more prisons, prison guards and the housing of some 164,000 adult inmates. With looming state budget cuts to health-care and welfare programs for the poor, and a smaller increase than expected in education, saving even a portion of the bloated $6 billion annual prison budget could go a long way toward trimming the cost of government. The governor hopes to cut the cost of corrections administration as well by centralizing both the adult and youth systems under his current corrections secretary Roderick Hickman. While we're not completely sold on such a massive investment of power, we like Hickman's response to carping prison guards. A former guard himself, he told union officials they could either get onboard or be left behind.

The Little Hoover Commission must now schedule public hearings on the changes before sending the plan on to the Legislature for approval. The public is behind the governor on this one. If lawmakers reject his comprehensive plan, it's likely he'll simply go to the people via yet another ballot measure. This may be the only chance legislators have to prove where their loyalties lie, either with the people of California or the powerful and generous prison guards union.

When it comes to corrections, we say it's time for correction on all fronts.

10 January 2005
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~11851~2645708,00.html

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