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Sarah,
There are major developments going on in the California penal system. Before we get started it’s important to know that difference between jails and prisons. Prisons are typically reserved for people serving longer sentences; jails are typically reserved for shorter (under a year) sentences and people waiting to be tried in court. The overall story can best be analogized by a falling chain of dominos.
The first domino fell earlier this year when Supreme Court of the United States ruled that California must immediately reduce its prison populations because the overcrowding amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.
As a result, California began transferring prisoners from prisons back into jails. Now the jails are so overcrowded that many jails are forced to release offenders early every single day. Further, the crowding is leading to increased violence within the jails and more lawsuits that allege abuse of prisoners.
Different parts of California are dealing with this situation in different ways. Liberal counties are focusing on expanding alternatives to jail such as drug rehabilitation. Conservative counties are rushing to expand their jails. Many counties are turning to “private jails” to house their prisoners.
Bottom Line: Jails will continue to become more crowded. There is little government money for additional facilities and the incarceration rate in California continues to rise.
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