Californian prisoners get sent on holiday

[Gob]

Danielle Rigney's son was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison when he was 19.

He spent two years imprisoned in California. Each weekend, family members or friends drove four hours to visit him. "He got to see his sisters growing up; he got to keep up with their lives," she told Truthout. "We constantly talked about the future." In addition to weekly visits, Rigney's son also had a job in the prison and was on the waiting list for college classes and a technical training course.

In July, however, Rigney arrived at the prison only to be told that her son had been transferred to La Palma Correctional Facility, one of two Arizona private prisons owned by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Now each visit requires round-trip plane tickets and costs Rigney's family nearly $1,000. Neither his father nor his elderly grandfather, who were able to visit him regularly in California, can make the 15-hour trip. His friends, who also visited him regularly, also cannot afford to visit him.

Rigney is not the only Californian with an incarcerated loved one out of state, but she is one of the handful of family members able to afford to visit. "I've visited three times so far," she said. "There have been, at most, ten other visitors when I've been there." In comparison, she noted that the visiting rooms at the California prisons were full.

As of November 20, 2013, California housed 8,302 of its state prisoners in private prisons in Arizona, Mississippi and Oklahoma. It sends more prisoners out of state than Hawaii, Idaho and Vermont combined.

Why does California use private, out-of-state prisons?

[Andrew D]

Out-of-state incarceration should be prohibited under the Eighth Amendment.

[Jarlaxle]

Stupid statement. By that "logic", housing a prisoner more than 100 miles from his former home should be prohibited.

[rubato]

For-profit prisons create perverse incentives which in the end distort both the political process and the system of justice.* And should be illegal.


yrs,
rubato

* For those who have followed the news on this.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Out-of-state incarceration should be prohibited under the Eighth Amendment.

What if the out of state prison is closer to the friends/family than an in-state prison?

Not that I have any friend or family in prison, but upstate prisons are farther from me than some in New Jersey or parts of Pennsylvania.

And while I would like to say "tuff luck" don't do the crime if you can't do the crime, I would guess having family and friends visit may help the prisoner.

There are soem concerns I do have with figuring out ways to reduce the population.

Reduced sentences (and possible release of) those sentenced under Three Strikes.

This is scary.

Expediting the process of resentencing juveniles originally sentenced as adults.

Depends on the crime. Don't know what crimes cause juvi's to be treid as adults.

Paroling the elderly and the medically infirm.

Elderly I can see, medical is another story. Might be cheaper to keep them in the prison medical than to release them to a hospital.

Sending non-citizen prisoners to Immigration and Customs Enforcement before the end of their sentences.

Only if they are promptly deported, but again, it depends on the crime. Don't need a convicter murderer deported only to have them sneak back in to the USA

Any other means to reduce prison crowding, including relocation within the state.

How does "relocation within the state" when there are no beds available in the state, reduce the overcrowding?
Also, as I stated above, what if the prison "in state" is farther than one out of state (although that doesn't seem to be the case for Ca). I would guess no matter what, moving a prisoner farther away from family is going to cause complaints no matter where the prison is.

Prisons near high crime areas are naturally going to fill up faster causing more to be shipped out. Families of the prisoners are going to complain that their loved ones are being moved farther away causing hardship. Well the criminal might have thought of this before commiting the crime. Just a thought.

[Andrew D]

Out-of-state incarceration should be prohibited under the Eighth Amendment.

What if the out of state prison is closer to the friends/family than an in-state prison?

Then the prisoner can choose not to assert her or his right to be imprisoned in the State in which he or she was convicted. Nothing requires a prisoner to insist upon one of her or his rights, if he or she believes that her or his interests will be better served by not doing so.