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Resolving Overcrowded California Prisons

Since the early 1990’s, California has tripled the capacity of its prisons, increasing the number of prisoners faster than any other state. In fact, California’s incarceration rate is 51% higher than the national average. However, in spite of the massive increase in prisoner incarceration, the crime rate has not declined as much as in other states: our state crime rate is 24% higher than the national average. Still, California’s state prison population continues to grow and as long as current policies stay the same, we are expected to exceed current prison capacity by nearly 11,000 beds in just over three years. To accommodate for this, officials with the Department of Criminal Justice have asked for two new prisons – which will cost taxpayers $711.5 million in building expenses and $72 million in annual operation expenses, for a total of $2.151 billion over 20 years (Smith, Roger). This request is not only costly but......

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Approximate Word Count: 1723
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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