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San Quentin State Prison, California's oldest correctional institution, is overcrowded and falling apart, putting inmates, staff, and the public at risk.

Built in 1852, San Quentin was an answer to rampant lawlessness in California. One-hundred and forty-eight years and various ill-planned expansions later, the prison now includes a reception center for new prisoners, a parole violator unit, general population units, and a minimum security unit. Additionally, the state's only gas chamber and death row for all male condemned inmates are located at San Quentin.

While touring San Quentin earlier this year, I saw crumbling walls with exposed rusty metal supports. A correctional officer explained how rainstorms bring down chunks of the walls creating a danger to the officers and the inmates.

Warden Jeanne Woodford showed me a videotape that demonstrates blind spots from the watchtowers and hiding places around the level II section of the prison from which a recent escape occurred. The escapee passed over two tall fences spaced about 10 feet apart - nowhere near the typical 20 feet spacing between modern prison fences. The escapee remains at large. The warden advised me that the prison staff is truly the only system to keep inmates inside the prison.

In addition to crumbling walls and escape-prone sections of the prison, Death Row is expanding at a tremendous rate. Of the 5,950 inmates in the prison, 550 are on Death Row. San Quentin receives an average of three additional condemned men each month. The prison will be out of space for Death Row inmates by 2003. The next execution will not take place until 2003 or 2004.

The operating cost of San Quentin is $110 million a year and rising. It is the most expensive correctional facility in California. Those costs do not include the medical requirements for the facility. The prison, located on the San Francisco Bay, has not been painted in 22 years. The economy in the Bay Area makes it difficult to find staff for all jobs from secretary to correctional officer. Many employees pay exorbitant rent or have four-hour commutes. The strain is enormous on these brave employees who keep a good eye on the most dangerous criminals California produces. I commend them for their hard work and thank them for their sacrifice.

Last year I introduced Assembly Bill 2787 seeking to address several issues facing California's correctional system. One of the issues was moving Death Row from San Quentin because it is no longer the optimal location for California's condemned. In fact, the Department of Corrections has been having internal discussions about where to move death row. However, state law designates San Quentin as the sole facility for death row and it will take a new law to move it.

The antiquated facility sits on a very valuable piece of bay frontage property in Marin County. By closing San Quentin and selling the property, the state could use this new revenue stream to help finance the construction of a new correctional facility.

While I postponed a hearing in 2000 on AB 2787 in respect for the local legislators' successful efforts to secure funding for a study of this problem, I am seriously contemplating resurrecting the bill in 2001. Now is the time to replace the crumbling facility that is putting so many lives at risk.

Bill Leonard represents San Bernardino County in the state Assembly. This commentary is reprinted with permission from the October 16 edition of The Leonard Letter, a weekly electronic newsletter. Mr. Leonard can be reached at Assemblymember.Leonard
@assembly.ca.gov