The Rattler February 10, 2010 v. 97 #7 - St. Mary's University

02-10-10Commentarywww.stmurattlernews.comThe Rattler 7OPPOSING VIEWSOutsourcing prisonsCalifornia Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently proposed building U.S. prisons in Mexicoto move thousands of undocumented inmates that contribute to overcrowding.Proposition could relievespace and resourcesfrom U.S. prisons.The recent proposition in Californiato construct prisons in Mexico wouldhave a cost of half what it takes to buildDania Pulidonew prisons in California, and the facilitywould also cost half as much to run it.According to BBC News, California has one of the mostovercrowded and underfunded prisons in the U.S. Withthe creation of new prisons for undocumented inmates, thegovernment can simultaneously deport illegal immigrants,save money and improve the overcrowded facilities andprison system altogether.Although I am against the deportation of undocumentedimmigrants who are already in the U.S., I do believe thatthose illegal immigrants who have committed crimes inthis country should face the corresponding consequences.If these new prisons were constructed in Mexico,there would be less reason to support or even make useof the death penalty. One of the main arguments for thosewho are in favor of the death penalty is that prisons areovercrowded and prisoners get released early for the solepurpose of making space in the facility. Such was the casein a California prison when a riot broke out last year and,according to BBC News, a plan was devised to free 40,000of the 150,000 inmates being held within two years. Atthe same time, the inmates would be forced to serve theirfull sentence; the facilities and order among the prisonerswould be easier to maintain.The cost of these new prisons also proves to be veryappealing. According to BBC News, it takes billions ofdollars each year to maintain these facilities running andto provide more and more space for the increasing numberof prisoners. It also takes millions of dollars a year perperson to carry out capital punishment, which is anothersupporting argument of the those who favor the deathpenalty, as well as another method of creating more spacein overcrowded prisons.By building these prisons in Mexico, Californiacould save a billion dollars that could go toward highereducation, as Schwarzenegger stated. Because Californiarecently declared a fiscal emergency, saving money onthose citizens who have committed crimes against the stateand transferring that money to the youth population whoactually is in need of that money and education seemshighly logical.Why spend strained resources and money on the peoplewho have already made the wrong choices and instead givetheses benefits to those who are the hope of our future? Themore resources the government can provide for youth andeducation, the more opportunities and advantages thosestudents have.Although it may seem that Gov. Schwarzenegger maybe dumping illegal immigrants back in their native countryto let Mexico deal with its own citizens, that is clearly notthe case. He also wants to move a private sector into thoseprisons and run the facility as a part of the Californianprison system.Sending these undocumented inmates to newlyconstructed prisons in Mexico would not only bethe logical thing to do in terms of cutting funds andcreating space, it would also ensure that justice is beingsought by keeping prisoners out of the community untiltheir due time, providing for the safety of all citizens,inmates or not.Cartoon by Oscar MagureguiRehabilitation systemwould prove more effectivefor space issues.Schwarzenegger’s proposal aims toachieve two primary goals: to make a dentin the prisoner population in CaliforniaAlex Salinasof around 173,000, among the nation’shighest, and to decrease spending costs toease their $19.9 billion deficit.In the grand scheme of things, I absolutely admire whatSchwarzenegger is attempting to alleviate. His intentionsinclude facing California’s biggest issues head on in afittingly, larger- than-life persona that has oft inspired theterm “Governator.” However, the construction of prisonsin Mexico is an ill-thought, quick-fix to a problem in inmatepopulation that has plagued California since the 1980s.The majority of growth in the incarcerated population inCalifornia can be attributed to the time between 1987 and1998. During this time, Democrats created and enforcedstringent laws that saw an increase in the average time aninmate spent behind bars while decreasing the amount ofrehabilitation services available that allowed prisoners towork their way back into society. This trend still remainsand is chief among my concerns for what has snowballedinto an unnecessary proposition by Schwarzenegger.Ultimately, there are just too many prisoners despite the20,000 of them who are illegal immigrants. Plus, the stateof California hosts one of the most underfunded prisonsystems and poorest living conditions for inmates.California has the nation’s highest recidivism level,meaning that prisoners are more likely to return to prisonafter their release; Schwarzenegger is well aware of theimportance of rehabilitation services and the positiveresults they produced in California’s past. More emphasismust be placed in the emergence of rehabilitation centersand services. Only then can there be renewed hope forinmates to realistically adjust themselves back to civilian–life while contributing to ours and their ailing economy,truly a win-win situation.Beyond poor living conditions in the prisons, a concernthat has not been properly addressed, Schwarzeneggermust not assume that Mexico has any incentive to adhereto his proposition. In terms of financial stability, theycontain an enormous gap between their urban and ruralpopulation, and to claim that building prisons wouldincrease employment is illegitimate in lieu of the trueproblem. Expecting Mexico to “take back” their nativesis premature amidst the high rate of crime they face evenwithout the issue of illegal immigration.Decreasing California’s inmate population in the waySchwarzenegger proposes is an idea that strives for apositive outcome. Conversely, if we are to measure theresults in terms of short-term productivity, the proposalis certainly reliable. However, in a global society that isexperiencing unprecedented population growth, a quickfixto this problem or any problem that involves highvolumes of real people is not a rational way to handle thesituation. We need valid methods and solutions to handlethe crux of Schwarzenegger’s concern: how to preventcrime from happening in the first place.While details to valid methods remain unclear for thetime being, it is clear that building prisons will not stopcrime. Perhaps it is time that a portion of the $8 billion oftaxpayer’s money that is going to the state and federalprisons in California should be used to increase awarenesson this important issue that has affected millions of peoplenationwide, criminal and civilian alike.