Should the State's Youth Prisons Be Shut Down?

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Should the State’s Youth Prisons Be Shut Down? ()

After years of scandals over sexual violence and other forms of brutality and abuse, Governor Schwarzenegger settled a lawsuit against the California Youth Authority. Its name was changed to the Division of Juvenile Justice, and it now holds about 1000 inmates as opposed to 10,000. But the overall costs are the same as ever and the recidivism rate is 81%--one of the worst in the country. Governor Brown wants to shut it down and give the counties full responsibility for kids ranging in age from 12 to 25 who’ve been convicted of robbery, murder and other serious crimes.

If the state closed the Division of Juvenile Justice, those very tough cases would be sent to the counties, including LA County’s Probation Department. Civil rights attorney Connie Rice wrote an op-ed piece about the Department in the LA Times last October. It began by describing a sign on a classroom wall in one Juvenile Hall reading, “No Reading Newspapers, No Cell Phone Use and No Alcohol Consumption During Class.” The message was not for the inmates, it was for the staff…

Guests:

• Dan Macallair: Executive Director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
• Barry Krisberg: Lecturer in Residence, UC Berkeley's Center for Criminal Justice
• Connie Rice: Co-Director, Advancement Project in Los Angeles, @ConnieRicePCN
• Zev Yaroslavsky: LA County Supervisor, @ZevYaroslavsky

Reporter's Notebook

Al Jazeera on KCET ()

In the New York Times, columnist Frank Rich wrote that millions of Americans want the comprehensive and sophisticated news coverage provided by Al Jazeera, the service based in Doha, in the Arab Emirate of Qatar. Rich accused those he called "America's corporate gatekeepers" of censorship like that of the Soviet Union's Communist leaders. In Los Angeles, public television station KCET may no longer air PBS news, but it has started airing Al Jazeera English.

Guests:

• Bret Marcus: Senior Vice President & Chief Content Officer, KCET

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Obama and the GOP ()

Republicans and the Obama White House draw the battle lines for a political war over domestic spending. In his State of the Union speech and his address to the US Chamber of Commerce, President Obama has reached out to conservatives—at the same time he promotes what he calls “investments” in a “new economy.” Republicans now control the House of Representatives—where all financial legislation has to originate. They are divided over how many billions of dollars they’ll try to cut from the spending plan the President will unveil next week.

Guests:

• Stephen Moore: Member of the Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
• Robert Borosage: Co-Director, Campaign for America's Future
• Matt Bennett: Democratic Strategist, Third Way, @ThirdWayMattB