LA Times via SJ Mercury today reports an explosion in the number of inmates the California's prisons must house. As many as 23,000 felons and an overall total of 193,000 new inmates by 2011. This increase is taking place amid turmoil on the administrative side of the prison system. Bond sales are being purposed by Govenor Schwarzenegger to raise over $13 billion. In the meantime, the facilities are so crowded that tempers are steadily rising in the prison population. Correctional officers worry that it is only a matter of time before tensions boil over.

LibraryLawBlog via Retrofitted Librarian:

Interesting post about "Dangerous Reference" and the line between reference and "assessory after the fact".

Random Request for 4/11/06:

"Any books on human physiology or biochemistry and pinocle cards please."

From Acorn:
According to Christina Rathbone, author of A World Apart: Women, Prison, and Life Behind Bars, "The U.S. incarcerates more people each year than any other place in the world other than China. The fastest-growing group within those incarcerated is women." Rathbone details the women in Michigan state prison and the gardening. More.

This is our common work space where our processing of books and magazines occur. Our industrious volunteers and regular staff stamp or label as needed, remove the smelly perfume samples (more on that later), and cut off any personal identification on the magazines. From there, the items are shelved either in the magazine area or paperback shelves.

We have a nice logo on our Jail van. We can get about 30 bins inside if we stuff it to the gills. Our usual load is about 4 bins per Housing Unit that we visit. We visit 2 or 3 Housing Units per visit.

Moving.
The Jails Librarian is moving! Please be patient.