Court Orders California to Cut Prison Population

New York Times ^ | Feb 9,2009 | SOLOMON MOORE

[SeekAndFind]

The California prison system must reduce overcrowding by as many as 55,000 inmates within three years to provide a constitutional level of medical and mental health care, a federal three-judge panel tentatively ruled Monday.

Relying on expert testimony, the court ruled that the California prison system, the nation’s largest with more than 150,000 inmates, could reduce its population by shortening sentences, diverting nonviolent felons to county programs, giving inmates good behavior credits toward early release, and reforming parole, which they said would have no adverse impact on public safety. The panel said that without such a plan, conditions would continue to deteriorate and inmates might regularly die of suicide or lack of proper care.

“The evidence is compelling that there is no relief other than a prisoner-release order that will remedy the unconstitutional prison conditions,” the panel said in its tentative ruling.

The California attorney general, Jerry Brown, vowed to appeal the ruling.

“This order, the latest intrusion by the federal judiciary into California’s prison system, is a blunt instrument that does not recognize the imperatives of public safety, nor the challenges of incarcerating criminals, many of whom are deeply disturbed,” Mr. Brown said in a statement.

“The court’s tentative ruling is not constitutionally justified,” he said. “Therefore, the state will appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court when the final order is issued.”

The court supported its argument by citing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own support for prison reforms, which he has said would reduce the population by about 40,000 inmates.

“We cannot believe that such support would exist if the adoption of such measures would adversely affect public safety,” the court ruled.

[nufsed]

Here's a start:

Here's what they don't say, because they propbably don't know.

A few years ago the Dept of Corrections took over the Youth Authority. There is a Youth Authority facility in Chino with 1200 cells. The inmates are ages 18-25. The count is at about 700.

They could move the 700 to other facilities which used to be YA and put 1200 inmates at that facility. Turn it into a medical facility and please some of the court concerns. Or at least don't let 1200 out on the street.

[dr_who]

Let me guess. Violent offenders are first to be released.

[Pylon]

Start killing the guys with a death sentence. That will lower the population.

[nufsed]

Just so people know. Cal sentences 20-30 year to death and executes 1 every 2-3 years or so. Now the state wants to build a 300 million death row because the current one is too crowded.

For about $5 mill a year, we could set up a death sentence appeal process, expedite the cases and get the system moving.

[reg45]

OK! Let’s take half of them out - and shoot them.

[northislander]

Why not kill the murderers?

[JoanneSD]

Or put them in Marin county.....

[rcrngroup]

Start killing the guys with a death sentence. That will lower the population.

But...but...but Obooombi just said at a prayer breakfast last week that God wouldn't condone the killing of innocent human beings such as some of these wrongfully accused misguided individuals (babies in the womb and infants born alive after botched abortions don't count. That's above his pay grade after all.... evil rat bastard)

[genghis]

idiot!!
you assume someone in the government had brains. Heck if this was so we would not be in this mess.

[Seven plus One]

The Jerry Brown? Arnold out-liberals Governor Moonbeam? Wow.

[nufsed]

They're running to old YA facilities at 40-60% capacity while they have inmates stuffed in every corner of the prisons.

The judges will win and we'll have 10,000 more running around.

[GonzoGOP]

Gladiatorial combat on Pay per View. Solves the prison population issue and the budget crisis.

[BBell]

Federal mandatory minimums for first time drug offenders are a killer. The war on drugs has been so successful with filling up our prisons with nonviolent drug offenders while they have to let violent offenders go to make more room for all the drug offenders.

[Julia H.]

Does this mean they’re going to shoot ‘em at random?

[nufsed]

Here's what the ACLU is up to in California

http://standdown.typepad.com/weblog/2008/12/the-cost-of-california-death-row.html

[nufsed]

Doesn’t that just impact federal prisons?

[research99]

Or, just export the prisoners (at 1/3 cost) to Sheriff Joe. Give them tents in the desert, pink underwear, green bologna and chain gang work. Problem solved.

[nufsed]

You need a short history of prison riots in the US. You can do some things with short term jail prisoners that you can’t do with long-term prison inmates.

[odin2008]

Do like China does, uses them for spare parts.