The Ideal Pendulum Swing: From Rhetoric to Reality

Abstract

California has been dominated for decades by a criminal justice system that places a strong emphasis on retribution. In other words, the central goal of our criminal justice philosophy has been to punish the offender for his or her "blameworthy" behavior. This focus on retributive punishment has led, in turn, to widespread prison overcrowding and revolving-door recidivism. ' However, in recent years the looming threat of court-ordered population caps has caused even "tough on crime" policy-makers to think seriously about the implications of retributive policies and practices on public safety and budgetary constraints. 2 Governor Schwarzenegger responded to these pressures in July 2005 by reorganizing the Department of Corrections into the new California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).3