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California is Really Talking About a $25 Billion Deficit Now
By David Dayen
d-day
California's prison health care czar is asking for seven billion dollars to improve prison medical care. Before you think this sounds like a luxury, actually it's mandated. From the Sacramento Bee:
“As the state faces a chronic budget deficit of at least $8 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1, paying off both prison bond packages would cost taxpayers more than $1.2 billion a year over the next quarter-century.
“"This issue is not an elective," said Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer. "It is a directive. We are under a federal court order to bring the level of health care in our correctional system up to a constitutionally acceptable standard after years and years of under-investment. So in a sense, we are having to catch up for years where this was not adequately financed."”
The alternative is mass release, which to most legislators in Sacramento is not an alternative. The federal receiver urged some kind of resolution without delay. We just passed AB900, which called for $7.4 billion in prison expansion bonds. Now here's another $7 billion in the same sector. Lawmakers are not pleased.
Legislators gulped hard Monday as the financial toll of future prison construction rang loud and clear.
Add up the interest and principal on two years' worth of prison bonds, and the annual hit on the general fund over the next 25 years would be $1.2 billion.
"It borders on the incredible," said state Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, at a budget hearing on prison bonds.
Actually, what borders on the incredible is that you think you can keep throwing nonviolent offenders in jail and raising sentences for decades and not have that come back to haunt you. Nobody funded the ancillary structures associated with the prisons and they fell into disrepair. If you don't address issues immediately they become more costly. What's so hard to figure?
These should not be funded through bond trickery again. It'll cost the state four times as much in the long run to do so. The prudent thing to do is actually bite the bullet and pay it now, or release enough prisoners to comply with the federal magistrate. Your choice. You made the bed, now lie in it. This is a $25 billion dollar deficit now. Deal with it.
Dave is a writer, comedian and TV/film editor based in Santa Monica. He is an elected member of the Democratic State Central Committee from the 41st Assembly District. He blogs on state and national politics at http://d-day.blogspot.com/
Comments
The alternative is mass release . . .
No, there is no "alternative" to the State fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities to provide adequate health care to those it incarcerates. The problems w/ health care in CA's prisons are, in the words of Federal Judge Thelton Henderson who is supervising the health care case, "systemic." Reducing the population wouldn't even begin to address the situation, which according to the Judge's findings, leads to an average of one unnecessary death/week. Not fixing it isn't an option.
The author may be conflating two separate lawsuits, both of which have been before Henderson for years. One challenges the prison health care; the other challenges the overcrowding problem & could possible lead to the early release of prisoners.
Posted by: Arcturus at April 15, 2008 11:01 AM
Our law makers act surprised at the cost of incarcerating people, yet tripped over each other to pass tougher laws with longer sentences.Until 1994 "year of Three Strikes" no one in the history of the United States had ever been sentenced to life in prison for shop lifting.Life sentences in California for simple drug possession 688.What ever happened to "Sentencing Reform" Arnold promised?
Posted by: Frank Courser at April 15, 2008 01:15 PM
Our law makers act surprised at the cost of incarcerating people, yet tripped over each other to pass tougher laws with longer sentences.Until 1994 "year of Three Strikes" no one in the history of the United States had ever been sentenced to life in prison for shop lifting.Life sentences in California for simple drug possession 688.What ever happened to "Sentencing Reform" Arnold promised?
Posted by: Frank Courser at April 15, 2008 01:16 PM
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