California’s prison conditions are out of control. There are main causes for this. First, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association has forgotten that they work for the state not the other way around. Every attempt to make adjustments to the system comes with rigid unrealistic expectations from the CCPOA. They seem to have forgotten how tough it is for the rest of us at this time. Second, the policy of serving jail time and then being deported is just not cost effective. In cases of nonviolent crimes, we should save our state money by deporting the criminals as soon as possible. Especially since they would be deported anyways. Third, the price tag for taking care of the prisoners is too high. In exchange for the services provided, we need to find work for them to offset the cost. We need products or services that the prisoners can be trained to provide. This way they earn their services and also become trained for a profession when they get out. This also would have the effect of making prison become a place that most felons would not want to return to. Fourth, California prisons are crowded with people who have committed victimless crimes. While I do not think that we should legalize every drug, I do think that the time has come to revisit our policies on Marijuana. If treated in the same manner as alcohol we could not only tap a new source for taxes but also relieve the burden that is put on our prison system by this drug. See the Legalization of Marijuana section for more on this subject. In conclusion, We can regain control of the prison system with some of the reforms mentioned above.