News Scan

CA Rehabilitation Programs Not Working:  State auditors have released a report finding that, eight years after California embarked on a historic sentencing reduction and rehabilitation crusade, the recidivism rate for released prison inmates has not improved.  The Associated Press reports that the assessment relied on data from 2014-2015 and tracked inmates over several years.  Auditors noted that, after years of inmate releases and millions spent on rehabilitation programs both inside and outside of prison, the rate at which released inmates are committing new crimes "remains stubbornly high" running at about 50% over the past decade. The auditors stressed a need for Corrections to be more active in assuring that these programs are more effective.  A Corrections spokesperson, as expected, responded that her department is ramping up its efforts to make things better.  In the meantime thousands of Californians are beaten, robbed, raped and murdered each year by criminals, determined to be  "low risk" by Corrections, and released back into communities to programs that don't work.  The solution, from proponents and politicians which support the state's sentencing reforms, is to spend more money.   

News Scan curated from Crime and Consequences Blog