In a Daily Journal article on January 9, 2011, RBG’s Michael Bien commented on the potential impact of Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed 2012-2013 budget on California’s corrections and rehabilitation system, saying “He’s continuing to push the idea that we should be shrinking the number of people in [the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] and we can do it safely and effectively.”
The article notes that recent budgets have cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the state’s rehabilitation programming budget and concludes with a second quote from Bien about the Governor’s proposed budget, “On the one hand he, like Schwarzenegger, is certainly talking a big talk about rehabilitation. And I think the corrections administration sincerely wants to do it, but so far all I’ve seen is a lot of teachers fired and drug programs reduced.”