The Inmate Bill of Rights and the California Model Can Transform Prison Rehabilitation

Abstract

The role that California prisons play within society has long been debated by politicians and prison officials. Some believe it is for punishment while others believe it is a space to heal and rehabilitate. However, currently the widespread belief is a combination of these ideologies. The California criminal justice system is set to punish, rehabilitate and reform offenders. (Centrone, 2020) This is the very ideology which created the California model for CDCR with the idea that prison is the punishment and what happens inside is the effort to rehabilitate. However, with the implementation of the California model, one issue remains the same, a lack of protection against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation creating barriers to limit the access of the rehabilitation programs.