About 45 percent of California inmates are males between 20 and 29 years of age, although this age group represents only 8 percent of the State's overall population. Data indicate that one in three young black males is involved with the criminal justice system, 33.2 percent of the black male population between 20 and 29 years of age. In contrast, only 5.4 percent of white males in the same age group are involved with the criminal justice system. The institutionalization of young black males in their most productive years perpetuates poverty and educates them in the prison subculture. In 1990, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Inmate Population Management recommended that California expand and fund a continuum of intermediate punishment and treatment options. Such options include drug treatment, victim restitution and reconciliation programs, community service, and intensive supervision. The Blue Ribbon Commission also determined that alleviating the racial imbalance in California's prison population requires shifting resources to education, health and welfare programs, and entitlements that prevent rather than react to crime. 2 tables