Why does it cost so much more to house criminal aliens in California than in Texas?

Both states have a huge number of criminal aliens in their state prisons. But Californians pay far more for the privilege of housing other countries’ criminals than Texans do.

Nationwide, the Government Accountability Office reports, it costs well over $1.1 billion a year for states to imprison criminal aliens — those who committed a crime after entering the United States illegally. California, moreover, is more expensive than other states. GAO auditors estimated California spends $34,000 to incarcerate a criminal alien for one year; in Texas, it’s only $12,000.