Not too long ago, the men now sitting around a table at the Contra Costa Probation Office were in prison. “I want to ask how long have you been in prison,” Chief Adult Probation Officer Philip Kader asks them. They respond with three, six and even 12 times.
The personal trials and political tribulations of San Francisco County Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi are getting plenty of attention at present, but county jails are in the news for another reason. California prison realignment is shifting inmates from state to county facilities, which are receiving $1.2 billion to help with the transition.
On today's Your Call we’ll talk about what’s changing in California’s prison system. The Occupy Movement drew attention to the prison industrial complex this week with a day of action called “Occupy the Prisons.” They are calling for an end to inhumane conditions for people behind bars. Meanwhile, the realignment process is underway in California-- where low-level offenders are being moved from prisons to county jails. Is this the best way to solve prison over-crowding?
