Legal News

Governor's inmate plan draws fire

By Richard Binder

Governor Schwarzenegger wants to change sentencing guidelines so that offenders who commit such low-level felonies as auto theft or drug possession could be charged with only misdemeanors -- allowing them to serve sentences in county jails instead of state prisons. Changing sentencing guidelines would eventually steer 20,000 inmates away from state prisons to county jails. Mr. Schwarzenegger estimates the plan would save the state about $1.1 billion over the next three years.

Local law-enforcement officials warn that an influx of new inmates could force them to release their own prisoners to make room. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Friday that Mr. Schwarzenegger's plan would "result in the undesirable release of some offenders." Paul Golaszewski of the state Legislative Analyst's Office, a nonpartisan financial and policy-advisory agency, said counties also might need to give probation to some criminals, rather than jail sentences.

The state spends $10 billion a year on its 33 prisons, which house about 160,000 inmates.

Full story at WSJ.com.

Also, the pros and cons of selling San Quentin.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on June 15, 2009 (boomark / email).