Los Angeles Times (2/13): Governor Aims to Rehabilitate Prison System

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Los Angeles Times
Dated Sunday February 13

Governor Aims to Rehabilitate Prison System
His push to reduce recidivism by preparing inmates for life outside is a break with tradition
By Jenifer Warren, Times Staff Writer

SACRAMENTO — Who would have thought the Terminator would give bad guys a second chance?

By embracing rehabilitation for felons, a strategy long given the cold shoulder in California prisons, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is veering sharply from the law-and-order mantra of his Republican Party.

Through a series of recent steps, the governor who personified toughness on the movie screen has emphasized education, job training, drug treatment and counseling for inmates to improve the odds that they would get out and go straight.

He also has freed 83 murderers who had done their time and won the endorsement of the parole board.

Unlike most of his crusades on other fronts, which reflect traditional GOP positions, Schwarzenegger's turn to rehabilitation takes him into territory where few California politicians — Republican or Democrat — have recently trod.

Read more.

[TheModernTerrorist]

1. hmmm

as much as I dislike the guy, what with all the secret Enron meetings and the scandals, I DO have to admit he DOES pull a few things that are suprisingly humane and decent. This is a perfect example.

Now if we could just get the billions of dollars back to California that were illegally funneled away by Enron then we'd be all set.

[cally]

2. Oh no, I actually agree with Arnie on something

Improving the California prison system is long overdue. We spend too much money locking folks up when we could instead change folks lives and reduce crime at the same time.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. That's pretty much how I feel

We'll seen what Schwarzenegger puts together and how well it works, but in broad principle, we've got to like this.