Today, during the annual State of the State speech, the Governor claimed that California spends 45 percent more on prisons than on higher education.
That’s not true.
In fact, the 2009-10 budget spends 7.3 percent on prisons and 9.7 percent on higher education – and that doesn’t include the billions of private dollars that are invested in our public colleges, universities and junior colleges.
Not only were the Governor’s numbers incorrect, his ideas for reducing prison spending are off the mark. Don’t get me wrong; I strongly champion trimming government spending, but let’s discuss real solutions not feel-good ideas that will never gain traction.
So what should California do to spend less on prisons?
Let’s begin by removing the federal receiver who has been instrumental in costing taxpayers $17,000 per inmate per year for just for health care. This could result in an approximate $2 billion savings per year. It’s a genuine solution that deserves the Legislature and Governor’s attention.