Oct 13, 2008 11:54 pm US/Pacific
Prop. 9 Supporters Take Campaign To San Quentin
SAN QUENTIN (CBS 5) ―
One of the most hotly contested ballot measures this election is Proposition 9, pitting victims' rights versus the rights of prison inmates. Recently, Prop. 9's backers took their campaign into unusual territory: right inside the walls of San Quentin prison.
Proponents of the ballot measure came together with victims of violent crime and men serving time for their deeds to debate the measure at the prison's Catholic chapel.
"We all as inmates recognize that the victims' need rights," said one inmate, while another prisoner said Proposition 9 would "change the rules of the game significantly."
Specifically, Proposition 9 would give victims stronger rights during trials, plea bargains and parole hearings. It would also restrict early-release programs for prisoners to reduce overcrowding. And it requires prisoners accused of the most serious crimes to wait up to 15 years between parole hearings. Under current law, an inmate eligible for parole usually gets a hearing every one to two years.
Prop. 9 backer Mitch Zak, brought his arguments to a room filled with prisoners—even though they can't vote and are almost universally against the proposed law, which could keep many of them behind bars well past their possible release dates.
Zak said that the ballot measure is simply about giving more rights to victims, and "actually create an equal playing field where victims have the same Constitutional rights as inmates and criminal defendants."
"What it does is, it exacerbates our fiscal crisis," pointed out inmate George Lamb, who is serving 25-to-life for conspiracy to commit murder. Lamb's argument against Prop. 9 is that keeping inmates in prison longer is expensive—"To the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year," says Lamb, citing figures from California's Legislative Analyst.
As it stands, the state spends an average of $46,000 a year to keep an inmate in prison.
Many of the inmates charged that Proposition 9 is mean-spirited, and that most provisions of the measure are already in existing law. What seemed to bother them the most was the idea of extending the time between parole hearings to 15 years.
"The proponents of this bill say they don't want to take anything away from anyone," said 47-year-old William Packer, who is serving 25-years-to-life for 2nd degree murder. "However Proposition 9 takes away hope. Hope is what makes rehabilitation possible."
Even Jaimee Karroll, a crime victim who was gang-raped at age 9, came to San Quentin to oppose Proposition 9.
"Legislation that's just going to tie people up forever in prisons, I don't want to be part of it," said Karroll "I don't want my state and my country doing that in my name. And as a voter, I'm not going to support it."
But victims' rights advocate Belinda Harris-Ritter spoke in favor of Proposition 9.
Choking with emotion, she shared with inmates how she still deals with the murder of her parents.
"It's waking up in the middle of the night—for a long time—thinking, 'What's wrong with me?' That my parents were murdered. And it takes a long time to get over that," she said.
In fact, many inmates here say they agree that victims' rights must be protected—but that Proposition 9 is not the way to do it.
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