Our View: Unlocking real savings on prisons

Of all the things state government assumes to be its proper role, protecting the public from criminals is arguably the most legitimate. Government has no inherent duty to medicate, educate, nurture or provide recreation for its citizens. But it is legitimately charged with protecting their rights to life, liberty and property.

Nevertheless, the state has run California's prison system badly, with little regard for costs imposed on those supposedly being served, but with great concern for those paid to do the job. The prison guards union is among the most powerful in the state. As with less-legitimate functions, such as public schools and assorted agencies and departments, government seems intent to serve its employees first, and taxpayers last.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has suggested releasing convicted felons, including many in the country illegally, to cut expenses because of the state's $24 billion budget deficit. Whether criminals should be released before completing their sentences, or into federal custody to be deported, should not be determined by finances. The number of illegal immigrants in prison is 19,000, about half the number of prisoners targeted for release. Criteria for their release is unclear, although the governor says it will be only non-violent offenders and no one convicted of sex crimes. These and other moves related to the prisons could save $1 billion.

There may be prisoners who would pose little risk on early release into the community. Or not. There may be some serving sentences for offenses the Legislature ought to reconsider as felonies. But these are separate issues from the state's fiscal woes.

If he doesn't know this already, the governor should. We wonder whether his threatened prisoner release is designed to gin up support for another emotion-laden plea for more "revenue," government's euphemism for taxpayers' money.

If he and the Legislature want to reduce California's outrageous prison costs, they should look instead at inflated contracts with prison guards. As columnist George Will wrote recently in the Register, California's annual per-inmate prison cost is about $49,000 a year — twice the national average by some estimates.

The better course would be for the state to bring prison spending in line by renegotiating prison guard contracts. And, we do think the governor is on the right track by urging the Legislature to aggressively pursue contracting with private prison operators to house some California inmates, a less-expensive alternative for states that use it. Could that add up to $1 billion? Reasonably so.

The complaint will be that these are difficult things to do and can't be accomplished in time to balance the coming year's budget. But the state has taken the easy path for decades. That's how it got itself on the verge of bankruptcy. It's time to do it right and for the long-term.