Schwarzenegger Seeks an End to Federal Oversight of Prisons

[The Straight Story]

Schwarzenegger Seeks an End to Federal Oversight of Prisons

Jan. 28 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asked a U.S. judge to disband federal oversight of the state’s prison health-care system and block a proposal to spend $8 billion on new inmate hospitals.

Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown filed the motion today asking the U.S. District Court in San Francisco to shut down federal receivership of the inmate health-care system and return oversight to the state. Schwarzenegger and Brown said the court-appointed receiver doesn’t have the legal authority to demand the state spend $8 billion.

California is facing its biggest-ever deficit and is in danger of not having enough money to pay all its bills as soon as next week. The most populous U.S. state is anticipated to have $42 billion less than it will need to pay for schools, police and other expenses through June 2010 because the recession and tumbling stock market have reduced its revenue.

“It’s an $8 billion boondoggle, a utopian hospital plan that envisions dormitories of patients instead of cell blocks of inmates,” Brown told reporters in Sacramento. “We can’t have one government operating in secret called the receiver, and on the other side the Department of Corrections, and a $42 billion deficit in between.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=asqw__DMXtSA&refer=us

[Deja Q]

1. With $40B in debt, how can they afford to have his state spend $8B more?

[DCKit]

2. Since CA's prison system is already a model of decorum.... n/t

[fchurch66]

3. There's oversite of prisons?

Really? I didn't know that. Human Rights Watch has wanted to look into our prisons for years, but our government has not let them. Obama may be better, but we will see. I'm hopefull.

There is no hope for Aanold.