An American activist says the state of California leads the world in terms of incarcerations and suppression-style policing methods it uses, Press TV reports. Kim McGill of Youth Justice Coalition, a community-based Los Angeles organization that works to curb youth violence, also said prisons have become a big business in the state and politicians are not unwilling to change that.
“Mass incarceration just leads to recidivism, it leads to pain and suffering of families, it leads to loss of income for communities, and it bankrupts states’ and counties’ abilities to do anything for their populations besides locking people up,” she told Press TV. California has America’s highest percentage of inmates, which has led to overcrowded and unsafe facilities.
Los Angeles county leaders are currently considering spending 1.5 billion dollars to build a new central jail for men and a separate facility for women. The most recent data from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows California has a recidivism rate of 65 percent, which is 20 percent more than the national average.
Civil rights groups urge California to follow global models that have turned away from mass incarceration, saying these models encourage fair treatment and increased re-entry programs. “They’re welcoming people home with jobs, welcoming people home with housing and with the mental health services when they need it… but most of all just welcoming people home as people we want back in our communities,” McGill said.
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