Prisons: Alexander Wants 50K Inmates Released

Stewart A. Alexander, 2006 Candidate
California Lieutenant Governor
Peace and Freedom Party

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency to reduce the over crowded conditions in California prisons; and under the governor’s proclamation 5,000 inmates will be transferred to other states. Stewart Alexander, with the Peace and Freedom Party, believes the governor’s actions will be negligible and will be costly to the State of California.

Privately operated prisons in four states, Arizona, Indiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee have already started negotiations to transfer up to 2,200 inmates. Other public and private prisons have expressed interest in housing California prisoners for three to five years.

Under the governor’s proclamation prisoners could be transferred within the next 30 days to these out of state prisons. Presently there are more than 172,000 inmates in California prisons and the governor must act now otherwise federal courts could order prisoners to be released early.

Alexander says Schwarzenegger’s plan is doomed to failure before the first prisoner is transferred out of state. “Under the governor’s plan eventually California will need prison space in all 50 states. The governor’s leadership is the byproduct of following the advice of party’s for special interest.”

Alexander is proposing to remove 50,000 inmates by March of 2007. Under Alexander’s plan 25,000 inmates would be removed by December 15, 2006 and another 25,000 inmates would be removed by the end of March 2007.

Inmates that have served a minimum of one year in state prison, that are none violent and have not been convicted of a sexual offence or an offense against a child, would be eligible for release to participate in a statewide public works program.

Participants would report to work up to four days weekly, up to 32 hours, maintaining freeway landscapes, state parks and wilderness areas. Participants would also be trained to fight fires; such as the recent California Day Fire that consumed more than 250 square miles.

Participants would be paid $9.00 hourly and would be restricted to residing with a relative to fulfill the sentence time required. Participants would be restricted to work, home or such restrictions as directed by the California Department of Corrections. CDC personnel would be responsible for daily supervision of all program participants. Also program participants would be monitored by GPS devices no later than June 2007.

Alexander said it is also necessary that the governor take emergency action and cut the gridlock in California courts. The governor needs to permit judges to hear pending cases and not to have attorneys managing our courts.

Under Schwarzenegger’s plan Alexander says California could pay up to $40,000 annually to house and transport each inmate out of state and it will not solve California’s prison crisis.

For more information search the web for Stewart A. Alexander for California Lieutenant Governor.

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