The World According to Oatney

Tennessee could pay for California's problems

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a plan this week to ship more than 2,000 prisoners this week to other States-several of the prisoners will be coming to Tennessee. Many of these prisoners came from corrections' institutions that are privately run and will be going to institutions that are privately run, but it highlights a trend that I am not overly fond of.

What should happen if one of these prisoners escaped once they arrived here? Who would be ultimately responsible for the whereabouts of these prisoners and the safety of the public? The law enforcement authorities of the State of Tennessee would be, that's who.

The prisoners are being shipped here because of overcrowding in California prisons. California's overcrowding problem is not a problem for the State of Tennessee to take on-it is not our problem that California refuses to do their part to enforce immigration laws-a big reason why their prisons are overcrowded. Governor Bredesen conceivably could block this prisoner transfer, but I have not heard of any attempt on the Governor's part to try and put a stop to this.

Tennesseans should not have to bear the burden of California's failures.

Labels: Tennessee politics

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 12:47 PM