Amanda Haynes Professor Novak English 301 September 16, 013 !

ear of "riminals on #$r Streets% &he 'eality (hat do )e do )ith offenders )hen prisons are over*ro)ded and there is no )here for them to go+ "alifornia has tried imprisoning *riminals to the brink of overpop$lation in the *riminal ,$sti*e system- No), d$e to a S$preme "o$rt r$ling, "alifornia prisons m$st red$*e the n$mber of inmates- &he .A &imes editorial board $ses emotional appeals to en*o$rage its a$dien*e to $nderstand the signifi*an*e of early release )hile providing logi*al appeals to disprove the /politi*ally motivated hype0 regarding prisoner1s release and re2entry into "alifornia1s *omm$nities 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15Altho$gh the .A &imes editorial board fo*$sed on logi*al appeals, they )ere able to grab their a$dien*e1s attention thro$gh pathos appeals- After stating that, /"alifornia1s 33 prison1s are overpop$lated by abo$t 6,600 felons0 and that the S$preme "o$rt has ordered "alifornia to release these inmates, the a$thor says that, /the prospe*ts of that many *onvi*ted *riminals being released onto the streets in a single )ave is frightening0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15- 4y en*o$raging those reading the .A &imes to imagine tho$sands of *onvi*ted felons being released to o$r streets and to o$r neighborhoods )here o$r families live, the arti*le appeals to the emotions of fear and pani* most "alifornians feel- &he &imes also mentioned that *riti*s of 7overnor 4ro)n1s *ampaign for re2entry felt that this release of inmates /,eopardi8es p$bli* safety0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15- &his is also a pathos appeal sin*e it en*o$rages the a$dien*e to refle*t on ho) they )o$ld feel to have *onvi*ted *riminals in their *omm$nities- &he

a$thor f$rther appeals to the emotions of the reader by stating that the release of prisoners is d$e to /$n*onstit$tionally lo) 9$ality of inmate mental health *are and medi*al *are0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15- &his en*o$rages the a$dien*e to have sympathy and *ompassion for the prisoners )ho are $nable to re*eive basi* h$man rights in "alifornia1s prisons- &his statement also makes the prisoner1s str$ggle )ithin prison be*ome real to those $na)are of the *$rrent standards(hile the threat of releasing in*ar*erated prisoners into "alifornia1s *omm$nities might so$nd dangero$s, there is no reason to be )orried, a**ording to the .A &imes- &hey pro*eeded to /point o$t that felons already leave prisons in large n$mbers and ret$rn to their home *omm$nities in a *onsistent and steady flo)0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15- &his dis*redits the emotional appeal made earlier that the release of inmates is a ne) threatening approa*h taken by the government to red$*e prison *ro)ding- A typi*al response to this statement )o$ld be that the amo$nt of prisoners released is drasti*ally more no) than before- Ho)ever, that is not the *ase- /4efore #*tober 011, )hen A4 106 :realignment1 took effe*t and transferred responsibility for some felons from the state to *o$nties, abo$t 6,600 already )ere leaving state prisons2 every month0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15- &his sho)s that the realignment poli*y proposed by the S$preme "o$rt merely *ontin$es the de*rease in the inmate pop$lation )ithin "alifornia1s prisons- &his logi*al appeal en*o$rages the a$dien*e to reali8e that there is no in*reased threat by prisoner re2entry- &he ne;t obvio$s 9$estion is /<id *rime rise sin*e 011+0 and the response is no, /*rime rates in the state pl$nged0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 15&he final *on*ern many "alifornian1s fear is )ho, )ho )ill be released- &hose *hosen to be released early from prison )o$ld not /be released to the streets b$t to n$rsing homes and

hospi*e *are, be*a$se many for the longest2serving prisoners are elderly, infirm, and )ell past the age at )hi*h st$dies sho) even the most hardened *riminals *ommit *rimes0 3&imes Editorial 4oard, 013, 5- &his statement address both pathos and logos appeals by addressing the fear of *onvi*ted *riminals by sho)ing the reality of )hom )o$ld be released as )ell as providing resear*h that sho)s that these elderly inmates are harmless&he .A &imes Editorial 4oard attempts to address the *on*erns and pani* res$lting from the realignment of "alifornia1s prisons- &hey address the emotional *on*erns of *omm$nity members by providing fa*t$al responses to the distress *reated by releasing *onvi*ted *riminals into o$r *omm$nities- &he style $sed by the editorial board is *lear and *on*ise senten*es that spe*ifi*ally $se )ord *hoi*e to dis*reetly invoke pathos from the a$dien*e'eferen*e% &imes Editorial 4oard- 3 013, September 15- &he &r$th Abo$t /Early 'elease-0 The LA Times, pp- 12 -

Hi Amanda, 7ood ,ob on yo$r paper= > think yo$ do a really good ,ob of analy8ing ho) the arti*le appeals to the )riter, b$t > )o$ld like to kno) )hat yo$r take on the a$thor1s tone is- > made a fe) *hanges in red, ,$st some grammar problems- ?o$ do a good ,ob of e;plaining ho) "alifornia1s )ill feel abo$t this *hange, > think that yo$r introd$*tion *o$ld $se some sort of statisti* or other fa*t to get the readers attention to ,$st ho) big 3or small5 this iss$e plays o$t to be, maybe in *omparison from "alifornia prisons to other state prisons+

Arti*le%

E<>&#'>A. &he tr$th abo$t @early release@ A$*h of )hat yo$ may have heard abo$t the freeing of inmates is politi*ally motivated hype4y &he &imes editorial board September 1, 013 4oth 7ov- Berry 4ro)n@s ill2*onsidered plan for *omplying )ith a *o$rt2ordered prison pop$lation *ap by *ontra*ting o$t for inmate beds, and Senate President Pro &em <arrell Steinberg@s m$*h smarter plan to *ontrol the flo) of ne) inmates into prison, are based on the desire to prevent, at almost all *osts, the early release of inmatesAnd that is $nderstandable- "alifornia@s 33 prisons are overpop$lated by abo$t 6,600 felons, a**ording to *o$rts that have ordered the n$mber of inmates to be red$*ed to 13C-DE of design *apa*ity by <e*- 31- &he prospe*t of that many *onvi*ted *riminals being released onto the streets in a single )ave is frightening4$t "alifornians sho$ld $nderstand that their leaders@ motivation for resisting early release is based at least as m$*h on politi*al as *riminologi*al fa*ts- &he prison doors )ill not s)ing open&here )ill be no ne) )ave of released felons>t@s no s$rprise that politi*ians are nervo$s abo$t the term Fearly release-F 4ro)n, a <emo*rat, fa*es reele*tion ne;t year, and former .t- 7ov- Abel Aaldonado, a 'ep$bli*an, la$n*hed his *ampaign for 4ro)n@s ,ob by *riti*i8ing the governor for ,eopardi8ing p$bli* safety- &hat leaves 4ro)n and legislative <emo*rats eager to emphasi8e 3a**$rately5 that $ntil no) they have not released any prison inmates early, and to sho) that they )ill not a**ept any early releases as they go for)ard, despite the red$*tion order that res$lts from more than a de*ade of litigation over prison over*ro)ding and an $n*onstit$tionally lo) 9$ality of inmate mental health *are and medi*al *are4$t in making their p$bli* statements and presenting their plans, 4ro)n and <emo*rati* leaders are failing to point o$t that felons already leave prison in large n$mbers and ret$rn to their home *omm$nities in a *onsistent, steady flo)4efore #*tober 011, )hen A4 106 FrealignmentF took effe*t and transferred responsibility for some felons from the state to *o$nties, abo$t 6,600 already )ere leaving state prison G every month#f that n$mber, some depart$res )ere deaths- 4$t the vast ma,ority )ere inmates )ho left prison alive and )ent ba*k to their old neighborhoods- All the )hile, *rime rates in the state pl$nged-

>t )o$ld be folly to arg$e that the paroled felon pop$lation posed no dangerH the ret$rn )as and *ontin$es to be a b$rden, mostly on the *omm$nities already str$ggling )ith gang *rime and dr$gs, and the b$rden is all the heavier be*a$se "alifornia for years offered only the most *$rsory dr$g treatment, mental health *are, ed$*ation and other rehabilitative programs in prison4$t )hile ret$rning prisoners *ertainly present a *hallenge, )e *an@t say )e haven@t seen this kind of release before- >t is not ne)- >t is the norm- "alifornia has handled it- "rime *ontin$es to de*lineSin*e A4 106 realignment took effe*t, the n$mber of inmates released monthly from state prisons has pl$mmeted to abo$t 3,000- Add ba*k those )ho are no) getting o$t of lo*al ,ails after being in*ar*erated for nonserio$s, nonviolent and non2se;2related felonies, and the n$mber of monthly felon releases is abo$t )here it )as beforeEven tho$gh 6,600 is the n$mber by )hi*h the prison pop$lation m$st shrink by the end of the year, neither 4ro)n nor la)makers nor anyone else *losely follo)ing the sit$ation has been fooled into believing that most of those people )o$ld a*t$ally be set free any earlier than they )o$ld have been other)ise- 4ro)n@s previo$s draft plan *ontemplated transfers of eligible inmates to fire *amps and others to *o$nty ,ail spa*e, )ith only abo$t 1,000 released Fearly-F And if the state )ere re9$ired to release that many prisoners early, it )o$ld sele*t those )ho )o$ld be released not to the streets b$t to n$rsing homes and hospi*e *are, be*a$se so many of the longest2serving prisoners are elderly, infirm and )ell past the age at )hi*h st$dies sho) even the most hardened *riminals *ommit *rimesAnd ,$st ho) FearlyF )o$ld they be released+ >n most *ases, it is a matter of a fe) months earlier than they other)ise )o$ld leave prison- 4y ad,$sting *redits earned for good behavior and for )ork )hile in*ar*erated, an inmate )ho might other)ise serve 1I months *o$ld, for e;ample, be paroled or lo*ally s$pervised after 1 to 1D&hat is nothing ne) or different- !rom the time "alifornia abolished most indeterminate senten*ing in 16CC, prisoners have earned time off the in*ar*eration portion of their senten*es for good behavior and for )orking- .a)makers have ad,$sted s$*h *redits many times )itho$t *alling the res$lt Fearly release,F and )itho$t in*reasing the danger posed by the ret$rn of felons to their families and neighborhoodsNone of this is to say that an earlier ret$rn of prisoners is inherently good, espe*ially )hen they have had ins$ffi*ient a**ess to treatment or training )hile they have been lo*ked $p and *ome o$t as dangero$s as )hen they )ent in4$t early release is not the looming prison *hallenge that "alifornians m$st address- &he state has to get better at $sing its prison spa*e for the most serio$s *riminals and at $sing its reso$r*es in the *omm$nity to *orre*t the behavior of offenders )ho are amenable to *hange, )hile prote*ting the pop$lation from predators- Steinberg@s plan moves "alifornia in that dire*tion, and it has the added benefit of blo*king early releases- 4ro)n@s sa*rifi*es smart planning and

millions of dollars in reso$r*es in the name of delaying for a short period a fe) inmate releases that in the end pose a far smaller problem than he lets on-

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