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GUESTS: Geri Silva, Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes, Rose Braz, Campaign Director of Critical Resistance

Last Thursday, California lawmakers approved a 7.4 billion dollar prison reform bill. In the Senate, the bill passed by a 27-10 vote while the Assembly nearly passed it unanimously by a vote of 70-1. Despite the fact that billions of dollars of taxpayer money were committed, the so-called prison reform bill passed without any public hearings and with little debate. Though the bill is labeled as a reform, many activists assail it as prison expansionism as it calls for the creation of 53,000 new state prison and county jail beds while at the same time failing to address any real reform in terms of sentencing and parole. Before the last 21,000 prison beds are to be constructed, the state must illustrate improvements in rehabilitation, however. Also included in the provisions of the bill are the out of state transfers of 8,000 convicted inmates. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is fully expected to sign the prison reform bill into law.

There will be a meeting this Friday at 1:30 pm at the Youth Justice Coalition to discuss a response to this bill. Call 213-746-4844 for the address and more information.

For information on Critical Resistance visit www.criticalresistance.org, for information on FACTS, visit www.facts1.com.