Legislators Reach Agreement on Prison Upgrades
After weeks of negotiations, legislative leaders today said they've reached agreement with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on a plan to build new prison beds and better prepare inmates for release.
The package will expand prison capacity and rehabilitation programs in an attempt to ease an overcrowding crisis in the sprawling correctional system, which houses nearly 172,000 inmates in space intended for about half that many.
The crisis has become so severe that federal judges are considering whether to cap the inmate population. Hearings on that issue are set for June. JENIFER WARREN in the Los Angeles Times.
The package will expand prison capacity and rehabilitation programs in an attempt to ease an overcrowding crisis in the sprawling correctional system, which houses nearly 172,000 inmates in space intended for about half that many.
The crisis has become so severe that federal judges are considering whether to cap the inmate population. Hearings on that issue are set for June. JENIFER WARREN in the Los Angeles Times.