Breaking NewsSponsored by The Sullivan Auto Group
Subscribe: Home Delivery Special!
Inmate education increase urged by report
Legislative Analyst's Office says boosting classes saves money.
By Andy Furillo - afurillo@sacbee.com
Last Updated 6:26 am PST Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
If California wants to save money, it would enroll a lot more prisoners in inmate education programs than it currently does, the Legislative Analyst's Office said in a report Tuesday.
Only 54,000 of the prison system's 170,000 inmates attend academic, vocational, industries or independent study programs, the LAO said, even though 75 percent of its population reads at the high school level.
Numerous studies show that recidivism decreases when education increases, and that savings can reach as much as $14,000 per inmate-turned-productive citizen. The analyst's 32-page report laid out a six-point plan to get more cons into class.
Among the suggestions: increase visiting hours, sentencing time credits and other incentives for inmates who complete school programs; fill teacher vacancies; get more prisoners into classrooms even when their housing units are locked down due to violent disturbances.
LAO criminal justice analyst Brian Brown said the Legislature and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have made "new commitments" to step up inmate educational programs, that cost $202 million in fiscal 2006-07.
Brown said only 40 percent of the enrolled inmates attend classes on any given day. To make the funding more efficient, Brown said it should be allocated based on average daily attendance, like they do in the public schools.
"The idea there is that these programs are being underutilized and there needs to be an incentive for the department to get inmates into class on a daily basis and address those sorts of problems leading to low attendance rates," Brown said in an interview.
Corrections spokesman Oscar Hidalgo said "I don't think we disagree fundamentally" with the LAO's findings. He said the prison system's rehabilitation "strike team" is pushing to enroll 75 percent of its inmates into education programs this year.
One key goal, Hidalgo said, is get more inmates to class during lockdowns. There were nearly 600 lockdowns between April and December of 2006, according to the LAO report.
"We're asking wardens to look at why facilities are locked down, to look at the inmates who may be the cause of those lockdowns and make sure those inmates are segregated from those who want to program," Hidalgo said.
About the writer:
- Call Andy Furillo, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 321-1141.
Recommend this story at Yahoo! Buzz:
Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Most Popular
More Stories in Politics
ON THE WEB
QUICK JOB SEARCH
News |
Sports |
Business |
Politics |
Opinion |
Entertainment |
Lifestyle |
Travel |
Blogs |
Cars |
Homes |
Jobs |
Classifieds/Shopping
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map | Advertise | Guide to The Bee | Bee Jobs | FAQs | RSS
Contact Us | e-edition | Subscribe | Manage Your Subscription | E-newsletters | Sacbeemail | Archives
sacbee.com | Sacramento.com | Capitol Alert | SacMomsClub.com | SacPaws.com | SacWineRegion.com
Copyright © The Sacramento Bee
2100 Q St. P.O. Box 15779 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 321-1000