Los Angeles, CA. In an eight minute Full Disclosure Network® video news blog, President Steve Ipsen of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys accuses California politicians of deliberately sabotaging the California Prison system thus setting the stage for a massive prison release program now underway. Ipsen tells FDN host Leslie Dutton how criminals who are sentenced to prison are now being released after serving only half, or less, of their sentences due to California politics. He says elected officials, who oppose the Three Strikes law, have for the past ten years, blocked building new prisons, causing massive overcrowding and early releases. The video is available FREE for viewing 24/7, on demand as a public service at the URL.
Steve Ipsen, is a 20 year career gang and homicide prosecutor who is currently with the L. A. County District Attorney's office is a frequent spokesman on behalf of the Three Strikes Law. Here are a few of his quotes from the video news blog.
- "The reason you have a huge spike in gang crimes is because it's Christmastime in L.A."
- "L. A. Sheriff Baca is fighting for funding to lock up criminals for their full sentence}
- "Judges sentence criminals to a year in county jail.. and the Sheriff has no space"
- "Criminals get a 50 percent discount on every prison sentence"
- "Criminals are laughing at the system"
- "We spend billions of dollars for police to arrest, prosecutors to prosecute, judges to judge and we build marble court houses and then have no where to house (the criminals)"
According to Steve Ipsen, the political strategy to undermine the Three Strikes Law started ten years ago, when elected officials decided "We're not going to build more prisons because we don't like the three strikes law, we're going to let overcrowding occur and then some poor governor down the line-who happens to be Governor Schwarzenegger-has Federal judges staring down his.saying 'you better do something or we're going to release 'em' and we've got a governor here who's been sabotaged by a plan orchestrated ten years go-where were the plans to build more prisons?"
Billed as the news behind the news the FULL DISCLOSURE NETWORK® is an independent, educational, public affairs cable program featured on 43 cable systems and the worldwide Internet website www.fulldisclosure.net. In 2002 the program was presented with a public affairs Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their series entitled "L.A.'s War Against Terrorism". Channels and airtimes can be found on the website.
Comments to date: 128. This is page 1 of 13.
janice pearson shasta county
Posted: 06:44 am [PST] on June 29 2009
I truly believe prison is not the answer for all those who have committed a crime or violation.We use to have alot of programs for these people what happened to them!Not all people who commit a crime thanks of ways to beat the system an unfortunately when a city closes our mental health where do they in up in jail a place that has no means to take care of them and not every body that commits a crime plans on going back alot of them want to get their life together its amazing how fast one would judge because either they haven't been caught themselves or they haven't had a love one in trouble
Erika Sevilla Beaumont, CA
Posted: 10:25 pm [PST] on June 08 2009
I really liked the video and I definitely agree with Mr. Ipsen in every detail.
William Coon Rancho Cucamonga
Posted: 07:09 am [PST] on March 29 2009
My son was a welder mechanic working for the railroad. In 1982 he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident and injured his spine, he is now confined to a wheelchair. He was in the hospital for 4 1/2 months, he was given morphene every three hours. When he got out of the hospital he was addicted to drugs. Within 2 years he was in prison for possession of controlled substance, he is now 47 years old and has served 8 prison terms for drugs. He has not been nor will he be a danger to anyone but himself, yet he has spent most of his life in prison. The system is bursting at the seams with this type of inmate. I agree that sentancing should not be a joke. But I also believe there are prisoners who belong in prison because they are violent and pose a threat to the public. If a man has committed murder, armed robery, rape, child molestion, ect... and that man poses a threat to the public, he should go to prison and serve all his time. Then if he gets out and committs another like crime, he should go to prison for a very long long time if not life. But all these drug offenders,and petty thieves should have differant sentancing guidelines. We should stop spending money to warehouse non-violent offenders. The California Department of Correction is big business. An uneducated person can earn $100,000 a year working for CDC. CDC is a milking machince milking the tax payers. Mad about it in Rancho Cucamonga...
Seasidelady pacifica, ca
Posted: 01:43 am [PST] on March 09 2009
Full disclosure, Tell the truth; murderers, rapists and gang members DO NOT get released early. Those young gang members are doing 50 years,( the bad ones;) they are not going to be released. Lifers whose time is up should be released; shoplifting lifers should be released. Drug attics should go to rehab. Mentally ill inmates should go to mental hospitals. Quit wasting our tax monies on housing inmates who should'nt be in prison. For every over-incarcerated or over sentenced inmate, a teacher loses their job; 30 - 60 kids get under- served. We need to demand prison and sentence reform in California. This has gone far enough.
seasidelady pacifica, ca
Posted: 01:28 am [PST] on March 09 2009
The 3 strikes law is overcrowding our prisons. And most of the 3 strikes lifers are doing life for shoplifting!!!!!!!!!!What a joke, what a waste of valuable money. They are taking up beds that should be saved for rapists and murderers. Our problem is we need to reform our sentencing laws and when an inmates' time is up, they need to be released; corrected, educated and better off than when they came in. Prisons are money makers; is that why only 4.7% of the massive budget goes towards rehabilitation????? Is it because their keepers want them to keep coming back???
seasidelady pacifica, ca
Posted: 01:01 am [PST] on March 09 2009
Dangerous murderers and rapists are not released early ever and you know it. There are many lifers whose time has been up for years and according to the states' own statistics show a less-than-l% recidivism is a different story; they should be released not early, but LATE and NOW!!! They are older, wiser, tired; they just don't come back according to the states' statistics. It's the petty crimes that keep repeating thier selves; those who are addicted and obvioulsy not getting help in prison. How about sending them to rehab upon release. How about spending more than the current 4.7% of the entire prison budget on rehabilitation! What a disgrace! How about spending money on prevention for parolees! Who by the way have a 70% recidivism. So we release the ones who keep coming back, and we keep the ones who won't come back. Go figure!! The judges are right in saying "There is no leadership in Callifonria" and our prison system is broken; our sentences are outragious; i.e. 27 years for stealing a cell phone!!!!! come on now. I for one, want teachers for our schools, not more prisons for these rediculous reasons we are over-crowded. We need sentence reform!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we need it now!!!!!!!!!
Sabine SF
Posted: 03:52 pm [PST] on March 06 2009
If the 3 strikes law hadn't been completely twisted and abused these last few years there would not be nearly the amount of inmates with long term sentences as there are at this point. It's rediculous. 3 strikes laws and Habitual Criminal acts are supposed to be aimed at violent offenders ie rapists and murderers...not drug users and shoplifters.
gene az
Posted: 09:33 pm [PST] on February 16 2009
I think, Know, your jails are full [50%] of non-violent offenders. Release these and you have room for real, dangerous criminals.
Frank Courser Escondido, Ca.
Posted: 01:43 pm [PST] on February 11 2009
Steve Ipsen says ZERO prisons have been built? That’s untrue California built 6 NEW PRISONS after the Three Strikes Law was enacted! California spent over 2 billion dollars on these NEW PRISONS after Three Strikes was enacted. And spends 720 million every year to operate these NEW PRISONS. California spends 10.6 billion dollars every year on corrections... The majority of inmates in California are non-violent offenders! The number sentenced for murder and rape and molestation are a fraction of the inmates in prison. Those that are released from JAILS were sentenced for misdemeanors crimes. Those in prisons were convicted of felony crimes. If Full Disclosure is not distorting the news, then their guests certainly are! Shouldn’t these paid public officials like Steve Ipsen be honest and truthful?
Frank Courser Escondido, Ca.
Posted: 12:46 pm [PST] on February 11 2009
Mr. Ipsen claims no prisons were built after Three Strikes was enacted. Three Strikes was enacted in March 1994. Valley State Prison for Women opened in May 1995. Kern Valley State Prison opened 2005.SATF Corcoran opened 1997. Pleasant Valley State Prison opened Nov. 1994. High Desert State Prison opened September 1995. Salinas Valley State Prison was opened May 1996. These 6 prisons incarcerate about 31,000 inmates after Three Strikes was enacted. Mr. Ipsen either is unaware of this or is not being honest in his remarks.