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 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed a bill authorizing one of the largest prison construction booms in state history in hopes of satisfying federal judges who have demanded California address its severe prison crowding.
Schwarzenegger said the bipartisan $7.8 billion plan should go a long way to addressing the judges' concerns. He said the addition of 53,000 prison and county jail beds represents the biggest building commitment to California's corrections system in a generation, but key lawmakers and prison experts warned that it fails to solve the most pressing long-term problems.
The governor also said the plan contains provisions that will help inmates break a cycle: About 70 percent of ex-convicts return to prison after committing further crimes or parole violations. California's recidivism rate, one of the highest in the nation, is one reason the prison system is chronically crowded.
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