Larkspur, CA - Assemblymember Jared Huffman, Senator Carole Migden, and Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey today announced legislation which would examine condemned housing on San Quentin. The bill, AB 1743, does not attempt to decommission San Quentin or to relocate death row, but rather focuses on identifying better strategies for housing condemned inmates.

“It’s time to examine the massive amounts of money the state pours into San Quentin, including whether there are smarter strategies for housing condemned inmates,” said Assemblymember Huffman. “I accept the fact that San Quentin will continue being a prison and the home of death row for many years to come, but what I cannot accept are the massive cost overruns and lack of creative thinking reflected in the proposed expansion of death row.  The study required under this bill will help identify more cost-effective solutions for housing condemned inmates, including options that preserve the possibility of non-correctional uses, such as a public transit hub, on part of the San Quentin property.”  

AB 1743 would direct the Bureau of State Audits (BSA) to prepare an analysis of alternatives for condemned inmate housing, a report which must be completed by April of 2008. This study will look at the cost-effectiveness of various options for housing death row inmates, while maintaining the lethal injection chamber at San Quentin, upholding current legal protections for condemned inmates, and ensuring the safety of the guards, inmates, and the public. Until the BSA study is completed, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) would be prohibited from spending additional monies on the proposed condemned inmate complex (CIC) at San Quentin.

"The legislature does not look kindly on the prison system’s habit of using state coffers as an ATM to pay for their runaway costs.  That’s why we’re not letting them waste one more dollar without thorough investigation into all our options,” said Senator Migden. "Construction must halt until a thorough audit proves that this site is the most economical for the state and for taxpayers."

Existing condemned inmate facilities at San Quentin suffer from design and structural deficiencies that render them unsuitable for housing death row inmates. In order to address this, the Legislature authorized $220 million to be spent on a new CIC at San Quentin in the Budget Act of 2003. Since this time, however, the cost estimate for the proposed CIC has increased by 53%, despite the fact that construction has not yet commenced and the proposed facility’s capacity has been reduced by 25% since the initial authorization. In light of this substantial cost overrun, it’s unclear whether the proposed CIC is the most cost-effective strategy for improving the conditions of condemned inmate housing and preserving the safety of San Quentin inmates, staff and the public.