Prisoner 'Realignment:' A Public Safety Nightmare?
Professor Joan Petersilia was a guest on the KCRW radio show, "Which Way, LA?" with host Warren Olney on October 4, 2011. The show featured the issue of overcrowded state prisons in California and responses by LA officials.
In the process called "realignment," some 33,000 inmates are being released from overcrowded state prisons by order of the US Supreme Court, with LA County Probation and the Sheriff's Department getting the lion's share. County Supervisors say they're not ready, and District Attorney Steve Cooley has predicted a rise in crime. The shift from state to county authority began this week and, yesterday, LA Mayor Villaraigosa and Police Chief Charlie Beck also predicted problems.
Guests:
Michel Moore: Los Angeles Police Department
Wendy Still: City and County of San Francisco
Joan Petersilia: Stanford Criminal Justice Center