Legal News

Governor's budget plan returns to old inmate idea

By Richard Binder

As part of a plan to shrink the state's nearly $20 billion deficit, Governor Schwarzenegger is revisiting an earlier idea to house 15,000 nonviolent felons in county jails.

Local law enforcement agencies objected strenuously when the governor floated this idea back in January, concerned about the state reimbursing counties for housing the inmates. Under Schwarzenegger's current plan, counties would be paid just under $12,000 per inmate.

According to Nick Warner, legislative director for the California State Sheriff's Association, 32 counties have court-ordered population caps for their jails. If the plan calls for state prisoners to serve in those jails, sheriffs would release lower-level county inmates. Warner reports that inmates are already being released early due to overcrowding.

California houses an inmate population of roughly 150,000 in a system designed for 80,000.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 17, 2010 (boomark / email).