Free Republic

To the jailers of California, the Mexican Mafia is known as 'the gang of gangs'...“They have the ability to turn gangs that are historically sworn enemies that fight on the streets into allies when they come inside our jail system,” said Commander Joseph Dempsey of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Quinones says the gang’s power extended as its 30-year reputation for viciousness in the jail system won the allegiance of Latino street gangs throughout Southern California. “The Mexican Mafia’s influence and importance to Southern California goes far far beyond the prisons now,” Quinones told The Daily Beast. “I came...

The cost of imprisoning each of California’s 130,000 inmates is expected to reach a record $75,560 in the next year A guard watches prisoners being escorted across the yard at San Quentin State Prison. A guard watches prisoners being escorted across the yard at San Quentin State Prison. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) HOW MUCH? More than tuition at Harvard University That’s enough to cover the annual cost of attending Harvard University and still have plenty left over for pizza and beer Gov. Jerry Brown’s spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 includes a record $11.4...