Disqus - Latest Comments for FrankCourser

Re: Trump’s tax is a bold step towards draining the swamp

FrankCourser — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 12:48:42 -0000

Jenny Beth Martin , your not concerned about the 3-7 trillion dollars debt Trump's plan leaves us with? Gee you sure were with Obama even thought he cut the deficit by 2/3. Or are we using Tea Party facts again?

Re: Editorial: Vote no on sloppily written Prop 57

FrankCourser — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 14:48:13 -0000

California DA's oppose every reform proposal ever submitted! I listened to their arguments on AB 109, Prop 36 and Prop 47, All were nothing but fear mongering ! YES on 57! Let inmates earn good time credits, Take away from DA's their decision to charge children as adults. They have abused our current laws enough! Yes on 57!

Re: Alarming Suicide Rates At A Women's Prison Spur Calls For Action

FrankCourser — Sat, 28 May 2016 15:09:22 -0000

The only action the prison has taken so far is to buy heavy duty scissors for each unit, so the guards can cut them down. I was on the phone two days ago May 26th with an inmate in SCU when the alarms went off because another girl had attempted suicide , there was screaming and yelling in the background before she said I have to go they are locking us in, she said " I hate this place"

Re: Here’s What I Saw in a California Town Without Running Water

FrankCourser — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 16:32:02 -0000

Lake Success sits next to East Porterville The Tule River runs alongside it! It would seem logical using this source of water to provide for the city residents? Lake Success is a lake near Porterville, California on the Tule River at 36.06°N 118.92°W.[1] It is formed by Success Dam and has a capacity of 82,000 acre feet (101,000,000 m3). The 156 feet (48 m) tall earth dam is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its construction was completed in 1961.[2] The project's primary purpose is flood control, but the lake also provides water for irrigation and recreation.

Re: Clerk the Only One Obeying the Law

FrankCourser — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 04:02:45 -0000

The US Supreme Court is the least dangerous of all the three branches of government for they do not make law they only interrupt the constitutionality of laws! The author is incorrect in his assumption. The law was passed by congress when they added the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment. The Equal Protection Clause requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people within its jurisdiction. An employee of the any county is sworn to uphold the Constitution, they must follow the law regardless of their own personal belief. The first amendment covers separation of church and state! There is no ambiguity !

Re: Cruz Invites Obama to Border, Calls for Bombing ISIS ‘Back to the Stone Age’

FrankCourser — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 21:53:05 -0000

Is securing our borders and bombing ISIS who we were delivering weapons to our #1 priority? Isn't job creation and our own economy important to our strength as a world power ? We have spent a trillion dollars fighting a war on drugs, spending billions locking up Americans for what they put in their bodies. Trillions more attempting to develop democracy in the middle east. We can't help others if our own economy is dissolving. Pay attention America!

Re: Early release from California prisons now a flood

FrankCourser — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 11:30:29 -0000

Jerry Brown's AB 109 was his idea of a de facto sentencing commission. Something he and the legislature have refused to discuss! In fact he has vetoed minor changes in drug sentencing and other minor crimes that are considered wobbler crimes( meaning they can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony) . Many people are held in jails under pretrial detention because they can't afford outrageous bail cost. A sentencing reform commission could sort through such problems and become the final say in who can be released early. Removing the burden of a Sheriff employee making such a decision. Sentencing reform could save the state and counties billions, yet you will never hear a word about it from Jerry Brown or the legislature. Why you might ask? Because it's really all about the money!

Re: California Prisons Begin ‘Use-of-Force’ Reforms for Mentally Ill Inmates

FrankCourser — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:42:14 -0000

Knowing these facts and knowing that our prisons cost us $10 billion dollars every year, it seems the governor and legislature would attempt to divert more of these dollars to local and state mental health care to prevent crimes committed by the mentally ill and save taxpayers money with up front care before they are sent to prisons.When will this state begin to focus on the issue of mental health?

Re: Event: The Future of Water in Southern California

FrankCourser — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:21:06 -0000

As long as developers are allowed to continue adding to the crisis, as long as the state and counties waste water for lush landscapes, golf courses, and freeways, as long as farmers in Arizona and California's imperial valley grow alfalfa to ship to China, oil companies are allowed to use fracking to extract more oil while polluting ground water, why ask home owners to ration water, when government won't? The state needs a plan that fairly distributes this life giving commodity and old water right laws need to be revised to reflect common sense! .

Re: Los Angeles County jail crowding forces release of airline stowaway

FrankCourser — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 02:24:43 -0000

Is she a threat to public safety or are we simply mad at her! That is the question before the public as ,do we incapacitate her or not! The cost of incarceration of drug users, shoplifters, and the mentally ill just don't justify the cost, nor does it make us safer!

Re: Report: California among national leaders in cutting prison population and crime

FrankCourser — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:00:29 -0000

One should note California did not reduce it's prison population on it's own. It was ordered to do so after decades of litigation over medical and mental health care. In 2008-2009 California inmate population had risen to 172,000 inmates, today it is 120,000, which tells me California's dependence on incarceration was totally unnecessary and costly. A political gift given to the prison guards union and law enforcement.To be able to release 52,000 inmates and crime goes down should open our eyes to the fact we incarcerate far too many people for far too long. California's legislature must review our sentencing and parole laws and concentrate on those we truly fear, not those we are simply mad at!

Re: States Push For Prison Sentence Reform, And Prosecutors Push Back

FrankCourser — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:24:44 -0000

Using mandatory sentencing laws, enhancements , DA's can target the poor the addicted and the mentally ill. We no longer incarcerate those we truly fear, it now includes those we are simply mad at!

Re: Report Faults California Prison Mental Health Care

FrankCourser — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 10:36:16 -0000

"We are encouraged by what the Special Master found at CIW, and we are committed to continuing to improve care for mentally ill inmates in our institutions," she said in an emailed response. Really??? Did anyone bother to investigate the number of suicides and deaths caused by medical neglect? It certainly must have set a new record! If CDCR is encouraged by the level of care at CIW. God save these poor women! Ask the women there! Don't buy the lies and cover up from CDCR.

Re: Second strikers taxing California's struggling prison system as numbers rise at unprecedented rate

FrankCourser — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 19:19:08 -0000

California has known the problems with it's three strikes law from it's inception in 1994. We were warned! The California Correctional peace officers paid for and produced the ads to sell this monster to the public. Although prop 36 made some minor changes to the law, we are still dealing with the cost and injustice of the law. Building more prisons to deal with crime is like digging more graves to cure a disease. The answer is sentencing and parole reform, something the CCPOA has opposed because it would certainly reduce prison populations. You see it's has nothing to do with good public policy, nor is it about public safety, because it's really all about the money!

Re: California plan to ease prison crowding undermined by counties

FrankCourser — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:46:34 -0000

California's three strikes laws allows DA's to use a single serious and or violent felony that may have occurred decades before and then double the sentences with simple drug possession,shoplifting or receiving stolen property. This irrational costly punishment is poor public policy that does not make us safer. Because it's really all about the money involved in arrest,conviction and incarceration. California must review it's sentencing policies, look for alternative sentencing such as community service and home arrest that don't rob the budget and does nothing but destroy lives. California can be smart on crime! Let's demand it!

Re: California Gets 2 More Years to Cut Prison Numbers

FrankCourser — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:12:10 -0000

The Federal Judges have given in to California's demand to expand it's prison system.This is going to cost taxpayers billions! They will not offer good time credits or release any sick or elderly inmates! They will build and add on to existing facilities costing tax payers without ever reviewing sentencing and parole laws, as suggested by every expert, every commission, every report including their own!

Re: California Struggles to Provide Rehabilitative Treatment Programs for Prisoners: The California Report | The California Report

FrankCourser — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 19:43:24 -0000

California needs a real substance abuse program with real doctors and psychiatrist that deal with dual diagnosis issues associated with addiction. In the past California spent a billion dollars on a substance abuse programs that was so bad, inmates that did not participate were more likely to succeed than those that did. Problem is politics and a lack of impetus in CDCR. Rehabilitation is contrary to what CDCR has done for over 30 years!

Re: "If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go": Efforts to Resolve the Growing Numbers of Aging Behind Bars

FrankCourser — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 23:56:29 -0000

Of course it would be ! You don't have to pay guards and the federal government would be responsible for some of the cost!

Re: "If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go": Efforts to Resolve the Growing Numbers of Aging Behind Bars

FrankCourser — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 23:53:39 -0000

They would likely receive federal SSI and medicare at a cost far lower than that of state or federal prisons!

Re: "If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go": Efforts to Resolve the Growing Numbers of Aging Behind Bars

FrankCourser — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 23:49:51 -0000

It is not god public policy nor does it make us safer. The cost is enormous yet California has built several new hospitals at a cost of billions to house old men and women in walkers. Why? Because it's really all about the money! Governor Jerry Brown recently told the federal courts all remaining inmates pose a threat to public safety! 2,000 are eligible for compassionate release, CDCr Paroles say only 400 will be released!

Re: Federal judges could decide to delay California prison inmate cap in 30 days

FrankCourser — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 10:10:23 -0000

Jerry Brown has never had any intention on negotiating anything but expanding California's prison and jail system, It is poor and costly public policy that is the result of Governor after governor pandering to the powerful prison guards union, private prison industry and law enforcement unions using our tax dollars and the excuse that it is under the guise of public safety. Yet when a bill (SB 649) Leno that would reduce drug possession to a misdemeanor crime, Brown vetoed the bill stating the legislature was working on sentencing reform so it was not necessary to enact that legislation. To date no sentencing or parole reforms have been offered by the legislature. Brown is banking a war chest for his next election using our tax dollars that could amount to billions in new prisons.

Re: Shock verdict: Cops found NOT guilty of murder in brutal death of Kelly Thomas

FrankCourser — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 02:34:30 -0000

The California legislature passes about 1,000 new laws each year! Do you know them all?

Re: Shock verdict: Cops found NOT guilty of murder in brutal death of Kelly Thomas

FrankCourser — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 02:33:01 -0000

I will pass that on to all the mentally ill people I see on the streets! I am sure they will understand your advice

Re: Judge will begin considering whether Calif. prison isolation rules harm mentally ill inmates

FrankCourser — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 09:49:18 -0000

At this point who at all would believe the state on any prison issue? Lawyers for the state said corrections officials provide proper care and treatment within the isolation units, transferring inmates to other facilities if they need more intensive care.

Re: California jail violence rises on reforms

FrankCourser — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 00:32:07 -0000

Sentencing and parole are key to overcrowding. Alternatives to jails and prisons, making simple drug possession an infraction rather than a felony.This has completely been ignored by the governor, legislature , DA's and law enforcement! Full jails and prisons = billions of dollars! Because it's never been good public policy, it does not make us safer, it's really all about the money!