LAC Director in LA Times: ATIs Can Help Ease California’s Prison Crowding

The Los Angeles Times published an op-ed earlier this week on ways California can reduce its prison population in accordance with the recent Supreme Court ruling, urging against fears of mass releases and in favor of sentencing reforms. In a letter published in The Times today, LAC's director, Paul N. Samuels, applauds the authors' recommendations and urges the state to invest in ATI and reentry programs, as New York has done with great success:

Jeanne Woodford and Barry Krisberg offer a voice of reason after the Supreme Court's ruling on prison overcrowding in California. The state could take a cue from New York on using smart policies before there's a crisis.

New York's prisons have seen a decrease of more than 12,000 inmates since 1999, due in no small part to the success of its alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs, the largest such network in the country. Among the 10 most populous states, New York had the lowest crime and incarceration rates in 2010, according to the Pew Center on the States.

By diverting appropriate individuals to community programs and helping those returning from incarceration to become productive members of society, programs like those in New York keep communities safer, costs down and prison populations at manageable and humane levels.

Paul N. Samuels
New York
The writer is director and president of the Legal Action Center.

Read the original editorial here.