Construction: New and Existing Facilities
Governor Schwarzenegger will ask the Legislature during the special session of 2006 to establish statutory authority and to appropriate funding to construct new facilities that would ease inmate overcrowding and provide housing for population increases projected for future years. The projects would include:
- Converting existing facilities to house additional inmates,
- Increasing the number of privately-run facilities that now house inmates,
- In the long term, building two new prisons within the grounds of existing prisons.
- By June, 2009; Approximately 16,200 additional beds;
- By June, 2010; Approximately 10,000 additional beds;
- By June, 2011; A total of approximately 40,200 beds to meet long term needs and the anticipated inmate population through 2014.
These proposals would free up overcrowded areas in existing facilities so that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) can provide rehabilitation, treatment and other necessary re-entry programs in the gyms, dayrooms and other common areas where more than 16,000 inmates are currently being housed – in some cases on triple bunks.
In addition, re-entry facilities will allow inmates to live closer to the communities where they will eventually return while receiving the types of services and programs that will help them make their transition to those communities crime-free and constructive.
Estimated costs for the proposal are approximately $5.7 billion for new construction and approximately $238 million to upgrade and improve water, sewer and electrical systems in existing facilities to accommodate expansion.
For information on this and other prison reform proposals, visit the CDCR web site at www.cdcr.ca.gov