A New World

Assembly Bill 109. Here in California it has become very clear that the state is broke. It has actually been broke for about five years, but by creative budget manipulation, the states elected officials have been able to forestall the judgement day. The chickens are finding their way home and there is nothing that the politicians can do to to ignore the reality. Part of governor Jerry Brown's effort to deal with the costs of imprisoning the state's felons has resulted in the passage into law of a bill which shifts costs to the counties and off the state's general fund.

In short, what the new law does is shift so called non violent state prison inmates to county jails. County jails, in turn, have received some funding from the state to handle the costs. People I talk to that are in the business of babysitting felons say the money is not enough. What a surprise.

An unintended impact of this shift of prisoners is starting to emerge. Prison inmates prefer state prison to county jails. There is more room, better TV, more recreation, more educational opportunities, more vocational programs, better medical care, more gangs, and more drugs. State prisoners are not happy. They are forming groups, new gangs, and conspiracies and are far, far more dangerous than the average county jail population. It appears clear that assaults on county correctional officers is going to increase, and I predict this to be a dramatic increase. County jails are turning into small versions of state prisons without the tools or money to handle it.

Another impact is surfacing. County jails are intended to house minor offenders and major offenders awaiting trial. These inmates attitudes toward jail staff are significantly more cooperative when they are yet to be convicted. That is what is changing. Additionally, because the jails are now over crowded due to an influx of state prison inmates, local offenders are left outside. That is, local newly arrested criminals cannot be housed in jail. In one north state county, parole violators cannot be put in jail..... no room. In one case, the parole violater then assaulted the parole agent in the jail lobby and the jail STILL would to accept him as a prisoner.....

In my county the other night, two armed robbers were released on a citation rather than being held in jail. Property and exonomic crime defendants cannot be placed in custody....no room. Even when law enforcement catches the burglar who broke into your home and stole all your stuff, he will be booked and immediately released to return to stealing. Those who fleese the elderly of their life savings, welfare cheats, bad check writers, identity thieves will walk free the same day they are arrested.

And......so far here in the north sate, there have been two murders committed by people who, but for the overcrowding of the prisons and the jails, would have been in custody....That is just in the last two months.

When the smoke clears on the impact of AB109, I believe the body count will be high and it will be recorded as the single most important factor which contributed to the increase of violent crime coming to a neighborhood near you soon. As for me, well...if and when they come to my home, they had better pack a lunch.