California, the Golden State, a place where people from around the world come to for the
consistent sunshine, and fun-filled atmosphere. California is home to the largest prison
population in the United States. There are now thirty-three institutions, which house
approximately 170,000 inmates. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), it costs
taxpayers about $51,000 per a year to house, feed, clothe, and provide healthcare for each
inmate. The health care costs about $16,000, which includes, dental, medical, speciality care,
mental health, and medication for each inmate (LAO, 18 Mar 2010). This state is in the worst
financial crisis it has ever experienced. With vital programs being cut, teachers being laid off,
law enforcement decreased, and unemployment at a record high, why has there not been reforms
in prison health care?
The taxpayers are not being made aware of what the State of California spends on inmate
health care. The Governor of California wants the taxpayers to believe state employees are the
reason for the financial crisis, which is not the case. Only 4 percent of California's budget is spent
on state employees. On the other hand, about 10 percent of the budget for corrections is applied
to inmate health care (Kaplan). But, what taxpayers do not know is the inmates did not receive
this costly health care until about four years ago.
The 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution ensures a prisoners right to be free from
"cruel and unusual punishment"(U.S. Const., 8th Amend.). The inmates incarcerated within
California's correctional facilities, with the help of attorney's, sued the California for
violating basic rights in three historica...
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.../www.caed.uscourts.gov/caed/Documents/90cv520o10804.pdf>
Kaplan, Sunny. "Health Care Costs Rising as Prison Population Grows and Ages."
Stateline.org. The Pew Center on the States, 24 June 1999. Web. 14 Jul 2010.
&contentId=13721>.
"Overview Of Adult Correctional Health Care Spending." Legislative Analyst's Office.
Legislative Analyst's Office, 18 Mar 2010. Web. 20 Jul 2010.
10.pdf>.
State of California. Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. California Code of Regulations Title 15 Crime Prevention and Corrections Division 3 Rules and Regulations of Adult Institutions, Programs and Parole. Sacramento: State of California, 2008. Subchapter 4, Articles 8-9. Print.
U.S. Const., 8th Amend.
The Eighth Amendment applies to me because I am constitutionally protecting myself from “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed.” The Eighth Amendment also constitutionally protects my right to evade cruel and unusual punishment if inflicted. The right to pay fair bail, fines, and to evade cruel and unusual punishment also applys to my whole family, my friends, and whoever else is in the United States. The Eighth Amendment has the potential to impact my life by protecting my rights and protecting my person from excessive bail or fines imposed and cruel and unusual punishment if I am ever involved in a crime. Overall, the Eighth Amendment is one of the greatest protectors I have from inflicted or imposed cruelty from the
Bright sunshine to frigid snow, all within hours of travel. A place for everyone, all ages, all cultures, all types of people. When choosing a place to live, we decide on the one that pleases us and our busy lives. For those who enjoy constant activity and sunny warm beaches, California and Florida tend to be on their list. Once learning all that California has to offer, they will jump on the decision to pack their bags and head for their new home. California offers exploration and something new every day. “If they can’t do it in California, it can’t be done anywhere.” -Taylor Caldwell (Fun Quotes about California by Stephen Frank, www.capolitical news.com)
The flaws of the prison system not only affect inmates and their families, but affect every Californian. It is ironic that prison are created to protect society, but it also an institution that hurts society. More of state budget is moved into maintaining the flawed prison system at the expense of education and social services. Ironically, money for education and social services aid in preventing criminal population.
Prison Reform in The United States of America “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones” (Nelson Mandela, 1994). The United States of America has more people behind bars than any other country on the planet. The prisons are at over double capacity. It cost a lot of money to house prisoners each year.
The Federal government should not be held accountable for funneling so much support to a CA problem
...Prison Overcrowding: California." ALEC: American Legislative Exchange Council. American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved October 13, 2013 from Organization of CDCR
The cut of budget has been an issue in the American correctional system. According to an instructor in the criminal justice program at the University of Phoenix Salem Learning Center said that when the cut of budget is slashed many correctional facilities must shut down (Ramos, 2012). Recently, four state prisons had been part of the shut-down in the United States, such as Monterey Shock in Schuyler County, and three medium security facilities including; Wayne County, Chateauguay in Franklin County and Mt. McGregor in Saratoga County (Hughes, 2013). The problem appears to be drastic because when correctional facilities face this issue, inmates should be transferred to other correctional facilities and staff have to be willing to relocate to other correctional facilities.
In the essay "Prison "Reform" in America," Roger T. Pray points out the much attention that has been devoted to research to help prevent crimes. Showing criminals the errors of their ways not by brutal punishment, but by locking them up in the attempt to reform them. Robert Pray, who is a prison psychologist, is currently a researcher with the Utah Dept. of Corrections. He has seen what has become of our prison system and easily shows us that there is really no such thing as "Prison Reform"
I believe that the money for treatment was used for local police due to the fact that more of the policies resources were being used by people with mental illness. For example, USA today cites the story of one particular repeated offender “(the repeat offender) who has been arrested more than 100 times, ringing up more than $1 million in repeated arrest and retention related cost.” This is not a singular case, many mentally ill and emotionally disturbed cases tend to be repeat offenders. For example, the cops in my aunt 's area have gotten used to getting called to her home every couple of months.
With prisons growing at the rate they are now, there must be more funding. 1 out of every 131 U.S citizens is incarcerated. The rest of the citizens have to pay for this person to have a place to sleep, eat, and exercise out of their taxes. These taxes can and should be used for more important issues. I...
Our tax dollars go to sustaining the lives of the inmates that will most likely survive their imprisonment. “Maintaining each death row prisoner costs taxpayers $90,000
The options chosen did not balance the budget. On the contrary, the budget surplus increased; a budget surplus is not necessarily a negative outcome. The public and private sectors may be frustrated for paying higher taxes; however, a surplus can be beneficial. One benefit is that more money means more spending, which has a positive outcome in the economy. In addition, more money means savings, which administrators can later use on city developments of old buildings. A budget surplus can be beneficial by allocating funds to programs that need it the most. However, according to Jim Christie, the Governor Jerry Brown, plans on saying, “No,” on spending money deliberately. This means the Governor plans to prevent future deficits by saving that extra money. Therefore, the options chosen in the California Budget Challenge did not balance the budget because the state can benefit of the extra funds to recover from past deficits that continued to grow.
The eighth amendment of the U.S Constitution has been a key part to the justice system from the moment it was created. It provides the basic rights that everyone deserves. The eighth amendment is very important because it guarantees many “freedom from” rights. For example, it protects Americans from cruel and unusual punishments. Without the eighth amendment many people would be punished in an inhumane manner based on the morals of the judge. The eighth amendment is crucial to the U.S Constitution because it promises that all citizens are guaranteed their rights, including the citizens who are felons and display criminal acts.
Therefore the tax money taken out of our checks, to help the governor to provide these
Many believed that the US state’s soaring expenditures and special interest politics are pushing states towards record budget deficits, causing a lack of funding towards education, health care, the poor, and even state correction system (Petersilia 2008). It is paramount that out government find ways to utilized government spending wisely towards all the principles mentioned, even towards state correction systems. Our government needs to put individuals in place to analyze prison systems and find ways to resolve the issues with recidivism. From the data collected, the government could learn the best methods of utilizing funding towards innovative programs to help with reform and