In-Fill Construction
Infill Beds will Move Inmates Into Permanent Housing, Increase Rehabilitation
AB 900 acknowledges that in recent years, California’s prison and jail capacity has not kept up with population growth. Consequently, though our state’s per capita incarceration rates are consistent with the national average, our prisons and jails have become severely overcrowded.
The state currently has more than 172,000 inmates in our prisons, with nearly 18,000 inmates double and triple-bunked in gyms, dayrooms, and other facilities never intended to house inmates. Governor Schwarzenegger’s landmark legislation balances more beds with better rehabilitation programs to reduce recidivism.
It includes a comprehensive series of reforms that would increase the capacity of our prison system by 16,000 beds. Rehabilitation services—like substance abuse treatment, mental health services and job training—will accompany all new bed construction. These 16,000 infill beds at existing prisons are needed to reduce the number of prisoners in bad beds.
