Invitation to Lobby Day 2006 at the CA State Capitol

Invitation to Lobby Day 2006 at the CA State Capitol
2006 Prison Reform
LOBBY DAY
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
SPEAK WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR.
Taxpayers for Improving Public
Safety & Capital Alliance are
providing logistical support &
training at this important event.

Don't miss this opportunity to
advocate for prison reform and
improved public safety!
Speak with your legislators be part of the process!
2006 TiPS LOBBY DAY


For more information
or to RSVP
E-mail
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
Begins with a training session at 10 am
Opportunity for TiPS members to meet
with Legislators and staff to discuss
public safety/prison issues & discuss
TiPS legislation.
We will also have a gathering on the
South steps of the Capitol building for
guest speakers, including Legislators,
to address TiPS members.
2006 LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
E-mail
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
RSVP now to
reserve your space

Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
Bringing "unity" to the prison reform community
MISSION STATEMENT:
To unite the prison reform community into their rightful political force, to reform Corrections to live up to its name and thereby improve public safety, to support politicians who support prison reform and replace those who do not.
To accomplish this goal we have established a multidisciplinary union of inmates & victims, children, individuals and businesses who are united thru their common interest of improving public safety. Click here to review our union contract and join in our efforts




Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
Building Partnerships - Reforming Corrections - Improving Public Safety

Dear California Taxpayer:

Our tax dollars continue to be spent on a broken and costly correctional system. Each year our state's prison budget increases by between $200 million and $400 million while other valuable state programs are slashed.1

It is time to revisit how our costly prison system functions. It is time we take a non-partisan approach to reforming Corrections in meaningful ways which provide for real public safety for all Californians.

Our rapidly growing prison system has the highest failure rate in the nation. 79% of inmates who are released fail to complete their parole and are returned to 'the system' because they are unprepared to succeed in our society.2 These returning offenders along with new offenders means an ever-growing prison system.

Yet despite these significant cost increases and obvious failures, very little is spent on preparing our offenders to succeed once released. Drug treatment (when available) is given only at the end of a prison sentence, yet 80% of our inmate population is serving time for an offense related to substance abuse. The average inmate has a 7th grade education, however educational courses are offered only to 3% of the inmate population and classes are frequently cancelled. Only 10% of our inmates are enrolled in a vocational program to provide them with employable skills once released.3
Where does the money go? 66% of the budget goes to a phenomenal benefits package for prison guards who use their political power in the Legislature to get longer prison sentences and to criminalize more behavior.4

The result is a bulging prison population and an ever-growing guards union with increased political influence.

Shall we simply lock up inmates for longer and continue to increase our taxes to pay for it all? Leading criminologist research shows that approach no longer works for California because we have reached the threshold of "diminishing returns" on our investment in prisons.5 That means the 30-years of lock-'em-upand-throw-away-the-key mentality no longer makes us any safer, it just costs us taxpayers more money.

TiPS has been formed as the non-partisan political vehicle for the purpose of delivering improved public
safety. For as little as $5 per month (less than 20-cents per day), your membership fees are used to
implement a strategic 3-part plan to:
• Build a broad membership foundation;
• Launch a public awareness campaign; and
• Influence public policy to provide for real and lasting improved public safety.

By building a broad membership foundation, educating the general public, and refining our government down
to progressive pro-prison reform decision makers, we will altogether reform Corrections and thereby improve public safety in our communities.

Will you partner with us in being a positive influence to achieve these goals? Become a member of this
coalition, urge your friends and family members to join as well, and help to make this effort an historic
turning point for prison reform in California.

For more information, please visit us online at www.ForPublicSafety.com . Memberships or general
contributions may also be paid securely by credit card online, or mailed and made payable to TiPS.
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ENDNOTES
1. California State Legislature, Annual Budget Act, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
2. Legislative Analyst's Office, Analysis of California's Parole System. March, 2003.
3. California Department of Corrections, CDC Facts, 2003-2004
4. California State Legislature, Annual Budget Act, 2003-04, 2004-05
5. James Q. Wilson, "Crime and Public Policy" Crime ICS Press, Oakland, California 1995, page 489-507



2006 LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
E-mail
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
RSVP now to
reserve your space