Judges threaten Gov. Jerry Brown with contempt of court (LA Times)

[pinto]

Author has been doing a good job of following this for the LAT. ~ pinto

Judges threaten Gov. Jerry Brown with contempt of court

Federal jurists demand Brown and the state quickly produce a plan to remove thousands of convicts from California's packed prisons. They reject Brown's bid to end court-ordered restrictions on the prisons.

By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times
April 11, 2013, 9:58 p.m.

SACRAMENTO — A panel of federal judges Thursday threatened to hold Gov. Jerry Brown and other state officials in contempt of court if they do not quickly produce a plan to remove thousands of convicts from California's packed prisons.

In a blistering 71-page ruling, the jurists rejected Brown's bid to end restrictions they imposed on crowding in the lockups. The state cannot maintain inmate numbers that violate orders intended to eliminate dangerous conditions behind bars, they said.

Brown and other officials "will not be allowed to continue to violate the requirements of the Constitution of the United States," the judges wrote.

"At no point over the past several months have defendants indicated any willingness to comply, or made any attempt to comply, with the orders of this court," they said. "In fact, they have blatantly defied them."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prisons-20130412,0,6359134.story

[NYC_SKP]

1. I wonder how many non-violent offenders could be released without danger to society?

How many are bogus drug possession or silly third-strikers?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[pinto]

4. His one nod to compliance was transferring some inmates to County jails, already cash-strapped

and overcrowded. (see the follow up article below.)

[AnotherMcIntosh]

6. Didn't he also contract to send some inmates to other States?

[pinto]

7. Yeah, I remember he and the state DOC floated the idea at least. Not sure of the outcome.

(DOC = Dept of Corrections)

[pinto]

2. see also - Gov. Jerry Brown vows fight with judges over prisons

Gov. Jerry Brown vows fight with judges over prisons

Gov. Jerry Brown challenges judges' rebuke, saying he will carry the battle over crowding to the Supreme Court.

By Chris Megerian and Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times
April 12, 2013, 7:51 p.m.

SACRAMENTO — Escalating a dispute with the courts over California's troubled prison system, Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday fired back at federal judges who threatened to hold him in contempt, vowing to "litigate until the Supreme Court tells us that we're not on the right track."


The governor, the target of a scathing ruling Thursday that gave him three weeks to file a plan for meeting a court-ordered cap on the prison population, said he cannot remove thousands more convicts from California lockups without a spike in crime.

He is already fielding complaints from county authorities straining to handle their inmate loads since he eased prison crowding by ordering many low-level offenders and parole violators to be kept in local jails.

"If they feel bad now, wait till another 10,000 hit the streets under orders of the federal courts," said Brown, who is traveling in China with a trade delegation this week. "That's not going to happen, though, until we appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ff-brown-prisons-20130413,0,6099516.story

[Cleita]

3. Suggestion. If they identify the non-violent prisoners who have been

well-behaved, maybe they should release them to a sort of house arrest to finish their sentences by doing community service. I know a nurse and a psychologist who work with the prisoners in our area and from what they tell me many of the first offenders really do realize the error of their ways and have a desire to turn their lives around when they get out. It's worth a try.

[pinto]

5. Agree. And many inmates are elderly, if they pose little threat in general and have support options

outside, I say release them.