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Editorial suggests why federal judges have had to be involved in California prison reform

By Douglas A. Berman

The Sacramento Bee has this effective new editorial reviewing all the latest California prison reform happenings, which is headlined "Assembly invites judges to intervene."  Here are excerpts: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Friday to submit a prison population reduction plan to a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  In a terse two-sentence order, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an attempt at delay. Three years ago, Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the prisons.  Overcrowding, he said, "causes harm to people and property, leads to inmate unrest and misconduct, reduces or eliminates programs, and increases recidivism as shown within this state and in others." He has presented countless proposals, backed by expert testimony, to reduce prison population...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on September 15, 2009 (boomark / email).