It is amazing to me, a former "ex", that it takes the budget problems of building prisons to lock our brothers and sisters up for decades, for the public and politicians to finally realize that it is a overly cumbersome system, and non-productive. I find it disheartening though that the Governor is contemplating additional prison building. That will not solve the budget crisis in California, Texas, Indiana...or any of the other states that feel the same budget constraints. Cutting off public aid programs (Health care, education, & welfare) in lieu of cutting prison population by releasing non-violent prisoners early is only a stop gap measure that will reoccur in a couple more years. Those prisoners are going to be released anyway, come hell or highwater.

It is this regrettable policy our elected officials pursue that has led the states and federal government into this financial mess to begin with.  The predictions upon passage of the SRA were that it would only increase the population and funding for federal prisons by about 25%.  The designers of this policy were only off by around 125%.  Prison population since the "drug war" began has soared to millions, from the hundreds of thousands in the 1980's, we all know this, yet this cycle has continued unabated for more than 20 years.  

Possibly, one day in the not too distant future, when 1/2 of the population of this country are either imprisoned or on supervision, the public outcry will be enough to "tear down the wall" of the Prison Industrial Complex, being funded by the taxpayers.  But I doubt it.  

Unless and until the politicians and their friends are affected by these insane prison sentences being handed down by the courts, authorized by Congress, the revolving door will continue.  Since these "bad people" in prisons across the nation are coming home to their neighborhoods someday, possibly the more productive approach would be to provide some funding to prisons for education and job skills training to provide these "bad people" with the ability to sustain a free life without the crutch of public aid. We should call these policies:  coming soon, to a neighborhood near you "bad people".

To: Steve Poizner and others who think alike.  You don't have to be a real bad or bad person to go to jail.  You just have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Obviously you have never been in jail.  You have no idea what it is like.  I personally have not been in prison but I have a family member in BOP.  The prison system is like nightmare on Elm Street if not worst. The worst think is that we all pay for others mistakes; and I am talking about mistakes, NOT murder cases; I'm talking about non-violent offenders.  Men and woman that were hired to do a job and got caught selling narcotics.  With the economy being the way it is there are many if not millions of people who find themselves having to survive by taking chances of not getting caught.  There are different types of crime unfortunately this drug offense is one of them and highly punishable; for instance a first offense can get you easily 15 to 20 years; without any priors.  Now if the individual has criminal priors than you are looking a 20 to 25 at the least.  These Mandatory Sentences that we adopted back in the 1980's has only made it worst.  I am fighting to support the bill that will let non-violent offender go home.  I strongly feel that the drug war has long been out there to fight a war that will never end.  A war that is among ourselves.  I seen no justification in sending thousands of people to prison for extremely long sentences when they should be out here paying back to the community and supporting their families.  I for one am tired of all the tax money going to support these inmates. As I mentioned earlier; the families to these inmates are the ones that pay the price because while these inmates are incarcerated the families suffer by having to carry on a bigger load financially and morally.  The families to these inmates take the rap.  "Why because they are the ones that have to spend money on hotels, travel expenses and pay for visiting their love ones.  Did you know that when one family member visits an inmate they must pass an inspection by the correctional officers, and regardless of how clean you are; if they find anything out of place you will not be allowed to enter the visitation room.  One example of what I am talking about is when I went to visit a family member at one of the BOP facilities there was a woman who was not allowed to visit because the correctional officer  had found dirt on her shoes. Another person didn't gain access because she had just taken an aspirin because she had a headache and there was residue powder on her fingertips and therefore was not allowed in.  another was a lady who had travel over 700 miles to visit her son and was told that she could not visit because he was in lock down; apparently there was a fight that had broke out in the prison and they needed to do a headcount and an investigation, therefore she was not able to see her son.  There are thousands of other cases that I personally know of, and that is the truth. BOP is not only punishing the inmate but the family as well. And believe me when I say the BOP is another justice system in it's self.  For example:  when a person first gets sentenced by a judge or jury they are given there sentence weather it is 10 or 12 or 20 but that it's the case once the individual enters the BOP facilities.  BOP has it's one justice.  I recently learned of a man who was sentenced to 8 years for a drug offense but after serving 6 years he died.  The man died while in BOP custody.  Where is the justice?  He was given only 8 years yet he got LIFE... Do you see my point?  Nothing happened to BOP they were not even investigated.   I invite you to support the nonsense of incarcerating nonviolent offender for long sentence by signing the petition at www.november.org   Thank you for your time.

Regards, Cynthia