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Proposed Prison Site in L.A.

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The letter by Assemblywoman Molina concerning not building a state prison in her district raises interesting points.

First, her proposed legislation seems overly broad and probably stands little chance of gaining acceptance among a majority of her peers.

Second, the letter implies jails cause negative impacts on neighborhoods and fails to mention what those negatives are.

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Third, the figures mentioned are perhaps accurate but not related to each other. The City of Los Angeles does not house 25% of the state’s prison population. Los Angeles City and County house virtually none of the state’s prisoners. Most prisoners in Sybil Brand and the County Jail are awaiting or undergoing trials for crimes that occurred in Los Angeles City or County. The remaining prisoners are serving sentences after being convicted of crimes occurring in Los Angeles. Several hundred prisoners are parolees being held pending hearings for parole violations. They (parolees) are Los Angeles people whose crimes occurred in Los Angeles.

Fourth, the assemblywoman owes every law enforcement and correctional professional an apology for the slur her words imply. That a public official could characterize the demanding work of sheriff officers and correctional officers as “cleaning prison cells” shows a gross lack of appreciation for those men and women who strive to do society’s toughest job in a professional, humane manner. There may not be a tougher job than working in this state’s overcrowded jails and prisons. I am appalled that an elected official of this state could be so callous as to demean literally thousands of my fellow professionals.

Lastly, the issue of prison construction in Los Angeles should be addressed on a rational basis. The issue begs for leadership, not emotion. Let us (residents of Los Angeles) do what equity demands, select a site, plan to minimize whatever negatives are perceived and maximize the potential positives and build a prison. We supply approximately 40% of the state’s prison population. We should have a prison so that wives and parents don’t have to trek long distances at great expense to visit their imprisoned loved ones. I suggest a rational evaluation of the former Goodyear site at Central and Florence as the site of our next state prison.

ROBERT L. CARTER JR.

Sacramento

Carter is a member of the state Board of Prisons.

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