Prison Sites in L.A. County
Why has Mayor Bradly opted to foist off on the people of north Los Angeles County a proposal to establish a new prison far from the courts in an area that is basically agricultural? Thirty-five percent of all inmates in the prison system come from the City of Los Angeles, but Bradley doesn’t want to take the moral responsibility to house even a portion of those inmates in a downtown Los Angeles location, which would be near the courts and families of the inmates.
The inescapable logic of this excellent location apparently has eluded the mayor’s ability to grasp the basic fundamentals of the efficient operation of such a prison facility.
The only reason he opposes the logical site in downtown Los Angeles is because he is basing his rationale on how many votes he would stand to lose rather than the obvious economic benefits that would be derived through reduced operating costs, not to mention the benefits to be gained by the court system through having the prisoners awaiting trial available within a brief time rather than have to transport them to and from court at additional cost to the taxpayer.
ROBERT S. WHITMORE JR.
Los Angeles
Whitmore is chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County.
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