You are an advisor to Governor Jerry Brown. Governor Brown is looking for creative ideas regarding how

You are an advisor to Governor Jerry Brown.  Governor Brown is looking for creative ideas regarding how the state can come into compliance with the federal court order and reassume control of the state prison system.  You have been tasked with characterizing the problem, laying out the alternative courses of actions, weighing the costs and benefits of each alternative according to a set of well-articulated criteria (to be articulated by you of course), and making a recommendation.

Your assignment is to write a 5 to 10 page double-spaced memo about the topic along with an analysis of the alternatives and a recommendation.  THIS IS NOT A RESEARCH PAPER.   I have posted a group of readings on the course webpage that should provide you with sufficient information to complete this assignment.  You should write in simple, direct, and clear language, avoiding jargon and being frank in your assessment.  While we are leaving it up to you to come up with possible solutions, some alternatives that you might consider include expanding capacity (building more prisons), reforming sentencing, contracting with private prisons, (in the spirit of longer-term forward thinking) public investment in secondary education (dropout prevention), perhaps early childhood intervention, and of course doing nothing and remaining under perpetual federal control.  Feel free to be creative!  The state needs it.

YOU SHOULD THINK HARD ABOUT THE CRITERIA YOU WILL USE TO RANK YOUR ALTERNATIVES.  Keep in mind that more is at stake here than the budget.  If you recommend reduction in the inmate population or diversion of convicted offenders, it is highly likely that one of the individuals in question will commit an offense, with the attendant press coverage.  Also keep in mind that a prison term can be a disastrous event in one’s life and that there are many collateral consequences of doing time both for prisoners as well as their families.  You should be sensitive to these concerns and think through the politics and political feasibility of the recommendation that you make.