California should close five more prisons to give taxpayers a potential $1 billion in annual savings, said the Legislature’s fiscal advisor, as reported by Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle. The closures would not compromise public safety, the recommendation said.
According to the article, a report to legislators by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated savings through closures of five more prisons at about $1 billion annually. The CDCR countered the proposal, saying California prisons “remain substantially overpopulated beyond their design capacity, and the closure of an additional five prisons will exacerbate the problem.”
Supporting the closures, Assembly Member Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, said in the article, “We can go down the mass incarceration road where we’ve been before, or we can do the fiscally responsible thing, save resources and invest them in the community.” The article said Bryan and fellow lawmakers would argue for the new closures during budget negotiations.
According to the Chronicle, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2024—25 budget proposals call for $291 billion in spending, $20 billion less than the current year, but still at a deficit of almost $38 billion. The CDCR would see its budget cut by $493 million for a total spending of $14.1 billion. These numbers do not take into account any additional prison closures. In this budget, prisons cost taxpayers 4.85% of all state spending.
The article quoted AmberRose Howard, the executive director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, as strongly supporting the five closures so to “direct those savings into community-based resources to increase safety, reentry programs and supporting towns where prisons close.”
The current prison population stands at 93,900, while 15,000 beds remain empty, the article said. The Legislative Analyst’s Office predicted additional closures would lead to another 4,000 vacancies within four years. The Newsom administration said the additional closures would only produce 2,500 vacancies.
In a recent statement, the CDCR said it “balances the need for cost-efficiency while maximizing public safety and successful rehabilitation,” reported the Chronicle
