The current security red light in California has brought unbearable suffering to the residents and business owners. Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement in the new California budget to cancel about 4,600 prison beds to save costs has reignited controversy over the issue of releasing prisoners.
Newsom held a press conference last Friday (May 10th) to announce the revised California budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025, totaling $288.1 billion. The budget also addresses the need to fill the remaining $27.6 billion budget gap for this year and an estimated $28.4 billion deficit for the next year. Combined, this signals a total of $56 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years in California.
To absorb the $56 billion deficit in the future, Newsom has proposed a series of policies including cutting expenses from various sectors and streamlining the government.
Part of the expense reduction plan in public safety that Newsom has put forward includes continuing to cut $80.6 million in prison funding, canceling 46 housing units in 13 state prisons, totaling around 4,600 prison beds; reducing training funds for law enforcement officers, including $8.5 million reduction in 2023-2024, $13.8 million in 2024-2025, and a continued decrease of $22.6 million; and reducing $6 million in funding for parole data and consequences research.
Newsom stated that he is taking a more cautious approach to reducing prison beds and his government has been constantly reviewing prison budgets and monitoring the developments in related matters as it pertains to public safety. However, his plan to cut prison funding has once again raised concerns among the public about the possibility of early prisoner releases.
Mike Netter, a grassroots organizer of the “Recall Newsom” movement, expressed on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter) that Newsom’s plan to cancel prison beds means more prisoners will be released back into the community. He said, “The premise of ensuring a civilized and free society is to abide by the rule of law and bear the consequences of illegal acts, but Newsom and his radical agenda are destroying this. Newsom’s plan to cut over $80 million in prison funding and cancel 4,600 prison beds must be stopped.”
The certainty of releasing 4,600 inmates due to the cancellation of prison beds is yet to be confirmed, but the public’s concerns are not unfounded – Newsom has previously made multiple early prisoner releases.
During the 2020 pandemic, Newsom released approximately 10,000 inmates in the state within a short span of just over four months to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission within facilities. On May 1, 2021, without prior notice, Newsom announced the early release of 76,000 inmates, including violent offenders, serious criminals, and those with life sentences.
In his term, Newsom has closed four prisons and plans to close more. By 2027, he expects prison closures to save California $3.4 billion.
However, several California lawyers have pointed out that the mass early release of prisoners and cuts in police funding by the state government would worsen community safety and lead to a surge in crime rates. Law enforcement officials also state that some high-risk probationers could contribute to an increase in violent crime incidents.
Newsom’s proposal of the new budget last Friday has sparked discussions across various sectors. Overall, California’s current fiscal outlook is not optimistic: the state government’s budget needs are increasing, and deficits are growing.
California’s annual budget in 2011 was $98 billion, and the total budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year reached $286.4 billion. On the other hand, while California had a surplus of $97.5 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year, deficits of several billion dollars emerged in the following 2023-24 fiscal year.
State legislators must discuss the budget proposal put forth by the governor in the coming month and pass the budget by the deadline of June 15th.