Lawmakers tackle prison overcrowding in wake of Chino riot

CHINO -- With the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation dealing with the aftermath of a bloody prison riot here, state senators will vote Thursday on a proposal to reduce prison overcrowding.

Experts said overcrowding may have been a major factor in the racially-motivated riot on Aug. 8 at the California Institution for Men's Reception Center West.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a plan to cut the state prison population by 27,000 inmates, which would trim the state budget by $1.2 billion.

Democrats support the plan, while Republicans have reservations.

"The Chino prison riot reminds us that California's criminal justice system is in dire need of reform and not making Californians any safer," said state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.

Schwarzenegger's proposals include:
-- Increasing home confinement with electronic monitoring.
-- Reducing some crimes to misdemeanors.
-- Deportating undocumented inmates.
-- Scaling down sentences for inmates who complete rehabilitation programs.
-- Decreasing the number of parolees sent back to prison for parole violations. Critics have labeled this as an early release of prisoners.

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on Schwarzenegger's proposals.
 
The Assembly would vote early next week if the proposals pass the Senate, said Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills.

Hagman said he would not support any early release plan.

"If somebody does the crime, they should get the full sentencing," he said.

Hagman said he would support alternatives such as more public-private partnerships between businesses and prisons that would provide inmates with jobs and experience in order to reduce high recidivism rates.

Hagman won't be the only Republican questioning early-release plans.
"As Republicans, we're very much opposed to early release as an avenue to reduce spending," said Sen. John Benoit, R-Palm Desert.

An early release plan would allow released inmates to reoffend and impact public safety, Benoit said. Better alternatives include shipping prisoners out of state and using existing funds to build more cells inside state prisons held up by environmental concerns, he said.
Earlier this month, three federal judges requested the early release of about 40,000 inmates over two years in order for the state to provide prisoners at a proper level of medical care.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it would appeal the order in the Supreme Court.

The Aug. 8 riot at CIM lasted about three hours and injured nearly 200 people.
Nearly 1,300 inmates have been removed from the barracks-like prison reception center near the corner of Merrill and Central avenues.

More than 700 inmates from the reception center are now being housed in a more secure celled facility called Unit 3, at the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino. The rest of the inmates have been transferred to celled units at state prisons in Norco, Soledad and Imperial.

As of Monday, there were still three inmates being treated for serious injuries at local hospitals.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials said they hope Schwarzenegger's proposals are passed as soon as possible.

neil.nisperos@inlandnewspapers.com