While California legislators keep trying to find a consensus on a controversial proposal that could release inmates from state prisons, the LAPPL continues to take the lead in pressing lawmakers to find other ways to achieve $1.2 billion in savings without letting prisoners free.

There’s got to be a responsible way to achieve budget savings without threatening public safety. Curt Hagman, vice chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, has one idea. He believes medical costs for inmates have ballooned out of control and need to be reined in. From 1997 to 2009, medical costs increased by 325% per inmate! California now spends more money per inmate on medical care than any other state. In fact, California spends more money on medical care per inmate than it does on the average Californian!

In the best of economic times, releasing prisoners to achieve budget savings would make no sense. In the severe recessionary times of today, such talk is nothing short of irresponsible. Consider the state unemployment level of nearly 12%. The unemployment statistic suggests that even law-abiding citizens are having great difficulty finding work. Thus, the chances of a newly released inmate finding a job of any kind are next to nil. Having large numbers of recently released inmates unable to find work is a recipe for a public safety crisis and an end to the dramatic reduction in crime achieved over the past several years.

It is up to the state legislature to figure out where cuts need to be made within the state’s prison system. Our message to lawmakers is clear: Do the right thing. Find responsible ways to achieve budget savings that don’t put the state’s residents at risk.

Call or email your elected representatives in Sacramento and let them know how you feel. Our collective voices are being heard and we can make a huge difference in the outcome!