Arnold vs. Arnold - Will The Governator Do The Right Thing On Youth Prisons?

Right after his devastating defeat in the polls last week, Arnold Schwarzenegger went to great lengths to explain how he would make amends. He would reach out, he said. He said he got the message, that Californians wanted no part of his far-right agenda.

But if he really wants to show Californians that he is going to lead in a positive and powerful way, he can start by taking on one of the toughest issues in the state: the ongoing crisis in the state's youth
prisons.

More specifically, he can announce on November 30, when his youth prison reform plan is due, that he will close the most brutal, violent, corrupt and scandal-plagued youth prison: the notorious “Chad” prison in Stockton.

Five young people have died in California’s youth prisons in the last year and a half, and countless others have been locked in solitary confinement for months at a time, deprived of medical care, education, and any chance for a better life.

I am proud to be working with a feisty grassroots campaign called Books Not Bars which is pressuring Arnold to do the right thing. They’ve put out a hilarious political cartoon spoofing the Governor:

http://heroes.booksnotbars.org/