California spending billions to build new prisons

[alp227]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

At a dusty construction site in Vacaville adjacent to a prison yard, workers are putting the finishing touches on a 45,000-square-foot structure that will soon house dozens of California's most severely mentally ill offenders.

When the $33.6 million project at the California Medical Facility is completed this fall, prison psychologists and psychiatrists will have private offices to treat their patients, and inmates requiring inpatient care will have individual cells near a nurse's station, as required by law.

The building, which will include 64 cells, is one of 13 prison construction projects being funded by a $7.4 billion bond approved by the Legislature in 2007. It is all part of an effort by the state to comply with a court order to reduce overcrowding and improve health care in its prisons.

Even as the construction continues, however - and as the state continues to face pressure to reduce its prison population - there is debate over whether Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown should move forward with the projects.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/13/MNHN1KJ12V.DTL&ao=all

[Faux pas]

1. The prison biz is BIG biz. Why spend money on education

when you can build prisons to house all the poorly educated in the future. Always wondered where all that lottery money for schools goes to.

[Le Taz Hot]

2. As much as I hate the idea of millions being spent

on prisons, we DO need a new correctional psychiatric facility. Lots of 5150 inmates out there and Atascadero (the only other major mental health facility) has been WAY overcrowded for years. Because of lack of space, 5150 inmates are forced into the General Population where they're often easy targets.

[Rabblevox]

3. I know. This one makes my teeth hurt. I HATE the prison-industrial complex, but...

mentally ill prisoners (and there are many) desperately need more humane treatment and protection.

[XemaSab]

6. These aren't even 5150 "inmates"

Those go to Napa.

Vacaville is for people who have committed crimes but who are too crazy for the general population. For example, Charles Manson was there for quite a while.

[No Elephants]

9. OP says billions, not millions.

[dkf]

4. Drugs is one thing...severely mentally ill is another.

Can't argue with this one.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Instead of building more prisons, why not improved prison reform

with vocational training, GED acquisition, etc. and more parole?

[Jkid]

7. Building more prisons is more politically profitable to the tough on crime politicians.

[No Elephants]

8. I just knew there was some place California could cut, other than where it has been cutting.

Didn't know exactly where, but I knew it.

You don't take over from 8 years of a Republican fool and have nothing to cut but things near and dear to Democrats.