Dozens of activists who favor alternatives to incarceration rallied at the State Capital Tuesday before Governor Brown and several legislative leaders released their plan.
They say Brown’s proposal goes about reducing the number of inmates in the state in the wrong way.
“There are clear viable alternatives to reduce the prison population including, compassionate release, including expanding good time credits,” says Zachary Norris, Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. “So it’s a false choice that the Governor is making.”
For his part, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg favors a mental health and substance abuse treatment approach over efforts to expand prison capacity.