California AG's Lawyers Argue Against Paroling the Prison Labor Force

The United States incarcerates more of its citizens per capita than any other country in the world. The state of California has a prison overcrowding problem so bad that in February a panel of three federal judges ordered the state to reduce its prison population to 137.5% capacity within two years.

That's right folks, they were ordered to REDUCE the prison population to 37.5% more than the prisons were designed to hold.

Last Friday, federal judges found that the previous order was not being complied with and issued a new order which again compels the state to make second strike non-violent offenders eligible for parole after serving half of their sentences. What's really appalling (and rather telling) is an argument put forth by lawyers for AG Kamala Harris. From the LA Times:

Most of those prisoners now work as groundskeepers, janitors and in prison kitchens, with wages that range from 8 cents to 37 cents per hour. Lawyers for Attorney General Kamala Harris had argued in court that if forced to release these inmates early, prisons would lose an important labor pool.

Prisoners' lawyers countered that the corrections department could hire public employees to do the work.

Worse still, prisoner labor isn't only used for custodial services and groundskeeping. From BuzzFeed:

In a Sept. 30 filing in the case, signed by Deputy Attorney General Patrick McKinney but under Harris’ name, the state argued, “Extending 2-for-1 credits to all minimum custody inmates at this time would severely impact fire camp participation — a dangerous outcome while California is in the middle of a difficult fire season and severe drought.”

Approximately 4,400 California prisoners help the state battle wildfires, at wages of about $2 a day. There is an exception in the agreement that allows the state to retain firefighters — but only firefighters — who are otherwise eligible for release.

Like incarcerated firefighters, inmates who perform “assignments necessary for the continued operation of the institution and essential to local communities” draw from the same pool of inmates who pose a limited threat to public safety, the state argued in a September filing. Therefore, reducing that population would require the prisons to draw more incarcerated workers away from its firefighting crews.

So let's recap. California is keeping, against federal court orders, minimum security, non-violent offenders in unconstitutionally (Eighth Amendment) poor conditions because they have have come to rely so heavily on them as a source of cheap labor? WTF.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Excellent thread! I can't believe this... Well, sadly, yes, I can.

a reply to: theantediluvian

It's getting harder and harder for the "Machine" to hide the truth anymore. Isn't it?

a reply to: theantediluvian

Anyone whos been involved with the california judicial system knows how corrupt it is. its all about the numbers they dont care as long as you dont get an expensive attorney you going to see sime and serious charges.

A lot of corporations, and the politicians that have sold-out to them, are not happy with the push to decrease prison populations. Many use prison labor to manufacture their products.

If you see a tag that says Made In America.....there's a good chance it was made by an inmate.

Eventually they will have to comply with federal law, however, when low level drug offenders are no longer being hauled off to prison for minor infractions, and state run prisons or for profit prisons no longer fill their guaranteed occupancy quotas, who will fill the beds?

Horrific, springs to mind, tragic, disgusting, and well I could probably think of several not so nice things to do to the people responsible if I was inclined to violence....which I am not.

pelican island...
shoe program[/alonzo]

this does not shock me at all

Why reduce the numbers? What is the incentive?

25% of the total number of people being incarcerated in the world, are held in prison in The U.S. Why would they want to lose so many staff members in one go?

The prison labour keeps the U.S competitive, how many cents are the prison population paid per hour, for working on assembly lines?

Obviously, the wrong people are in those jails.

Let's throw the AG in one and then work down the State's food chain.

Or should we start with the Governor.

This is so sick.

But then it is a sign of a corrupt empire and history is full of fallen empires.

very soon it will be 'And another one bites the dust'

P

a reply to: pheonix358

Yeah and Gov Moonbeam Browndoggle (CA) just got re elected...go figure. And the worst excuse I heard for not voting for the other guy? He ran a stupid commercial chopping wood... really? /I give up people will never learn or open their eyes.

As for the inmate release thing, crime has been steadily going up because they were releasing violent not non-violent offenders... yeah CA sucks.. lemme out!!!

Lil

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: theantediluvian

Excellent thread! I can't believe this... Well, sadly, yes, I can.

Take a look at the 2011 ACLU report on the nightmare that are LA County jails.

a reply to: seeker1963

Given their argument, it doesn't even seem that they're trying to hide anything. I can't even imagine making such a depraved, morally bankrupt argument!

Its got so bad the cops do not even investigate minor Misdemeanors crimes that would give the criminal less then a year in jail.
Its a waste of time when the courts do nothing to the Misdemeanors criminals.

If some one gets 6 months for a minor crime they likely will serve only a week or two in jail because the state in putting felons in county jails so they do not have to release them.
I had a friend that got 6 months for driving without registration and a license.
They were going to put him on probation. he did not report to the probation officer and got rearrested and he told them he would not report to the probation officer.
They put him in jail for 4 weeks then released him scot free with no probation.

a reply to: theantediluvian

just another "big business" with no moral compass...seems to be the way of the world these days

How are they ignoring the courts in this? They just don't comply? And give their reasons, we want slaves? Non violent prisoners should not even be in jail to begin with!