CA Prison Reform.

The SF Chronicle has an editorial today endorsing sentencing reform as a means to help solve the CA prison overcrowding situation. Unless the CA legislature takes some action along these lines it will be clear that, as usual, our state politicians are just posturing for election purposes.

The editorial endorses the two proposals (which I've talked about before) of the American Bar Association commission, set up to study prison reform:

-- Lengthy periods of incarceration should be reserved for the most serious offenders, who present the greatest danger to the community;

-- Alternatives to incarceration should be provided to offenders who pose minimal risk to the community and appear likely to benefit from rehabilitation programs.

If we don't take this issue serious soon we will just continue to house people and increase prison population.

Just as expanding freeways will only relieve traffic congestion in the short term, building more prisons won't offer a permanent solution to the prison crisis.