|
|
U.S. judges order review of California prison crowding |
 |
+ |
- |
10:15, July 24, 2007 |
Federal judges on Monday ordered review of California prison crowding, saying Governor Arnald Schwarzenegger''s plan to address the problem was insufficient.
The judges granted motions to convene a three-judge panel to cap the state''s prison population.
Federal judges have been trying for more than a decade to improve medical care in California''s overcrowded prisons after they found that medical and mental care in California''s 33 prisons unconstitutional.
Schwarzenegger''s plans to add prison beds and transfer inmates to out-of-state lockups will not relieve severe overcrowding for at least two years, U.S. District Judges Lawrence Karlton of Sacramento and Thelton Henderson of San Francisco wrote in their orders.
Karlton said he made the decision to cap the state''s prison population "with extreme reluctance but firm conviction."
"The court wishes to observe again that overcrowding is the state''s problem, and in the interim, the court again urges the state to find its own solution to the crisis," he wrote.
The rare move might trigger the early release of inmates, though experts say less drastic measures may also appease the judges.
Schwarzenegger responded, "Today the federal judges encouraged the state of California to continue with our efforts to reduce
overcrowding...The judges said that if we are successful, further population orders will not be necessary. There is no immediate threat of inmate release, which one federal judge noted would be a ''radical step''. "
[1] [2]
|
|
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article