LET'S START OVER ON LOCATION FOR WOMEN'S PRISON

The women's prison proposed for a former retirement home in a quiet
Alum Rock neighborhood was the right idea in the wrong place.

Leaders in Community Alternatives gave up on buying the property at 10
Kirk Ave. on Monday, and that means San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and
Councilwoman Nora Campos have a pledge to make good on. They said
they'd help find alternative locations for a facility to help
non-violent offenders prepare to return to society.

California's prisons are packed with men and women whose core problem
is drugs. Better preparation for a drug-free life can save billions of
taxpayer dollars by helping addicts succeed in the community instead
of returning to a life of crime.

Leaders is a San Francisco non-profit that deals with criminal justice
and social service issues. Its CEO, Linda Connelly, feels terrible
that Alum Rock residents think she tried to put something over on
them. She says she never planned to conclude a deal with the state if
she couldn't get local support.

Her mistake was launching this project before researching local
policies or approaching city and Santa Clara County officials.

The county had looked at the same site for a treatment program and
found it unsuitable because it's in the midst of homes, schools and a
church. San Jose has stretched to allow group homes and other
facilities in or near residential areas, sometimes over neighbors'
objections - but housing 200 offenders on less than five acres in a
neighborhood is inappropriate, no matter how well run the facility
might be.

When word got out about the proposal, Reed and Campos jumped on it
with a joint letter declaring their opposition but acknowledging the
need for facilities like this. They were right on both counts.

And a private operator may be the way to go. The county considered a
program like this but, having been burned in the past, doesn't trust
the state to keep up the funding. Contracts with private parties would
be more reliable.

Anything that calls itself a prison, even if it offers excellent
programs, has to be a comfortable public-private partnership. Perhaps
the non-profit could start over, working with the city and county to
explore realistic locations.