Legal News

Alternatives part of proposed settlement in prison overcrowding lawsuit

By Jason Siegel

A proposed federal court settlement would send low-risk offenders into treatment programs or use other alternatives to prison and avoid the early release of prisoners, CBS 8 reported.

The proposed settlement hopes to decrease the non-violent prison population over the next three years by:

• Putting parole violators in treatment programs
• Putting low-risk offenders in county jail or probation instead of state prison
• Using electronic monitoring, short "shock" incarcerations and community service
• Giving credit for good conduct that could reduce the sentence of state prisoners who finish drug treatment, job training and education programs.

Counties would get state grants to pay for the alternatives, the Los Angeles Times reported.

State officials, advocates for inmates, local police leaders and two mediators reached the draft agreement after six months of negotiations. It could still be changed before May 30, when the next hearing in the case. Inmates are claiming that overcrowding is the main cause of unconstitutional healthcare and mental heathcare in state prisons, the Times reported.

If the state lost the multiple lawsuits against it, it's possible the three judge panel could cap the prison population or order the early release of tens of thousands of inmates.

"Settlement plan offers prison alternatives," San Francisco Chronicle
"Overcrowding in California prisons could be reduced without early release of criminals," Los Angeles Times
"Under California prison plan, local authorities would help prisoners turn their lives around," Los Angeles Times
"Calif. settlement would avoid inmate early release," CBS 8

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).