California Prisons Must Cut Inmate Population (by 40,000 Judges say)

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/us/05calif.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss


A panel of federal judges ordered the California prison system on Tuesday to reduce its inmate population of 150,000 by 40,000 — roughly 27 percent — within two years.

The judges said that reducing prison crowding in California was the only way to change what they called an unconstitutional prison health care system that causes one unnecessary death a week.

In a scathing 184-page order, the judges said state officials had failed to comply with previous orders to fix the prison health care system and reduce crowding.

The judges left it to state officials to come up with a specific plan within 45 days, saying there was “no need for the state to release presently incarcerated inmates indiscriminately in order to comply with our order.” They recommended remedies including imprisoning fewer nonviolent criminals and reducing the number of technical parole violators.
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"one unnecessary death a week"

good grief!

[kaylynwright]

1. 40,000

What happens to the 40,000 who get out? It's not like there are many jobs out there right now. Not to mention how much harder it is to get a job with a prison record. It'll be interesting to see if this gets done in two years.

[Fumesucker]

6. Welcome to DU..

I guess the murderers and rapists will have to be let out in order that all the dopers not be unleashed on society..

[gratuitous]

2. Maybe we should order our society differently . . .

Nah. We're proud of having the highest incarceration rate in the world. No need to release 40,000 prisoners; just build more prisons. The Republican ideal of 45% of the population behind bars, 45% of the population guarding them, and 10% looting the labor of the other 90% comes closer to reality.

[scheming daemons]

3. There's at least that many in jail for minor drug possession crimes... let them out first.

They shuoldn't be in jail in the first place.

[conspirator]

4. Simple: the army and xe are recruiting (sarcasm) nt

[Flaneur]

5. Good. California has been on a batshit insane imprisonment frenzy...

...ever since Ronald Reagan and Pete Wilson figured out they could "tough on crime" their way to winning elections by scaring the hell out of older white voters.

The state prison system is an abomination and a giant tit for the powerful prison guards' union.

[rustydog]

7. America imprisons more people than russia, china ....

We can release a lot of people who do not belong in prison.
then maybe focus on the innocent who are imprisoned, some sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit.

[SpiralHawk]

8. Send them to the Homeland

The Republicon 'Starve the Beast' Fail Freaks can deal with them in their own perverse, anti-reality Homeland.