California prisons cut overtime, cut inmate programs

from Kayla MichalovichCalMatters

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The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is limiting access to rehabilitation programs for incarcerated people as it limits overtime spending before the end of its fiscal year.

There are hundreds of rehabilitation programs operating everywhere California prisonsincluding restorative justice, violence prevention, higher education, creative expression in the arts and entrepreneurship education.

The refund began earlier this month and will end June 30, according to documents obtained by CalMatters. Corrections spokesman Terry Hardy described the restrictions as a “cost-saving measure.” The department did not respond to a detailed list of questions, including which prisons and programs were affected.

The department’s overall budget remains largely unchanged through 2022 at about $18 billion a year despite recent cuts that include closing five prisons.

Lawmakers at budget hearings earlier this year pressed Prisons Secretary Jeff Macomber to tighten spending as the department requested an additional $91 million in current funding to cover unbudgeted personnel costs. Last month, the department also offered an additional $100 million in workers compensation.

California Association of Correctional Peace Officers, a union that represents state prison guardsdid not respond to CalMatters’ requests for an interview.

Tony Tafoya, who has been in prison since 2012, said he had never seen anything like this happen before. Tafoya said the cut has had the biggest impact on college classes. He is currently enrolled at Mount Tamalpais College in San Quentin, but said his math class missed 12 days of instruction.

“I feel like I’m falling behind,” he said. “There’s a lot of healing that comes from going to school. It provides humanity. It makes me feel like I’m really being seen as a person. I feel like that’s what’s being missed.”

Programs at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga were also cut, including a pilot civics education program. The program, run by the organization Initiate Justice, includes just over a dozen inmates who helped draft legislation to improve social emotional learning in the K-12 school system. Assembly Bill of 1851authored by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gipson of Gardena, is making its way through the Legislature and is scheduled for an upcoming Education Committee hearing on Wednesday.

Antoinette Ratcliffe, executive director of Initiate Justice, said the group “thrives on active and lively discussion, on meaningful inquiry.” Breaking that connection disrupts the learning experience and practical application of programming, she said.

“We’ve made it a point in the Legislature to make rehabilitation programming a priority so we continue to see disruptions like this go against what we agreed to as a state,” she said. “I feel like a disappointment.”

Other advocates echoed those sentiments. Danica Rodarmel, a lobbyist for criminal justice reform, said any disruption to people’s ability to access programs affects their mental health and well-being. Completion of a program or certificate, she said, is often a determining factor in people’s ability to receive parole.

“Limiting people’s ability to engage in pro-social activities runs counter to the goals of keeping prisons safe for both the people who are incarcerated and the people who work there,” she said.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.