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U.S. judges seek massive California prisoner release
Reuters ^ | February 10, 2009 | Peter Henderson

Posted on 02/10/2009 3:35:28 AM PST by Zakeet

Federal judges on Monday tentatively ordered California to release tens of thousands of inmates, up to a third of all prisoners, in the next three years to stop dangerous overcrowding.

As many as 57,000 could be let go if the current population were cut by the maximum percentage considered by a three-judge panel. Judges said the move could be done without threatening public safety -- and might improve a public safety hazard.

The state immediately said it would appeal the final ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trend-setting California, the Golden State, has an immense prison system responsible for nearly 170,000 inmates, and their care has become a major political and budget issue as officials weigh multibillion costs of improved facilities against death and illness behind bars.

State officials say new doctors, nurses and prison rules have improved care and cut the dangers of living behind bars.

Meanwhile California is staggering through budget crisis as its real estate market has collapsed and unemployment has spiked.

The three judges specifically said they planned to order the system, swollen to about double its capacity last year, to cut down to 120 percent to 145 percent of capacity within two to three years. They did not give a target headcount.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: court; crime; dangeroussituation; dangertosociety; overcrowding; prison; prisoners; prisons
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To: LibLieSlayer

LLS your posts are always well thought out and logical, so of course they are the opposite of what the government will do.


21 posted on 02/10/2009 8:52:05 AM PST by TenthAmendmentChampion (Be prepared for tough times. FReepmail me to learn about our survival thread!)
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To: Between the Lines

Time to hire Sheriff Joe as a consultant on how to save money on housing non-violent criminals.

I agree about releasing the mj smokers. Drug users don’t seem like a huge threat to me. Maybe we should suspend the mj laws for a while and see if that helps. Course, drugs are a big source of money for law enforcement.


22 posted on 02/10/2009 8:56:24 AM PST by TenthAmendmentChampion (Be prepared for tough times. FReepmail me to learn about our survival thread!)
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To: TenthAmendmentChampion
Thank you... and that is a true indictment of our gooberment.

LLS

23 posted on 02/10/2009 9:12:16 AM PST by LibLieSlayer (Speak the evil)
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To: DoughtyOne

Federal Judges’ solution to difficult problems: give up. Too many criminals? Let them go. Too many illegals? Let them go.


24 posted on 02/10/2009 9:31:25 AM PST by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (I want to "Buy American" but the only things for sale made in the USA are politicians)
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To: TenthAmendmentChampion
Maybe we should suspend the mj laws for a while and see if that helps. Course, drugs are a big source of money for law enforcement.

I think a better way would be to keep the mj laws on the books, but decline to prosecute anyone arrested for mj. (I am not sure if Calif. has a decline to prosecute option though.) By declining to prosecute, the LEOs still get to make arrests and keep the forfeited property, the accused still remains under indictment and can be prosecuted later should they expand their criminal activity, and the prisons are freed up from some over crowding.

Kind of like a catch and release program.

25 posted on 02/10/2009 9:49:48 AM PST by Between the Lines (For their sin of 50 million abortions God gave them over to be an ObamaNation {Romans 1:24-32})
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To: Zakeet

Cheaper than feeding the b*sturds


26 posted on 02/10/2009 9:51:33 AM PST by yldstrk (My heros have always been cowboys--Reagan and Bush)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas

Actually, Reinhardt is a subversive. He would love nothing more than to see our society melt down. This fits his game plan to a tee. He isn’t giving up. This puts us farther down the road to his goal, in his sick f—k twisted mind.

Kill the capitalist United States, and his perfect socialist/marxist vision will rise from the ashes.

He and his wife Ramona Ripston have been seeking this means to an end for decades (IMO).


27 posted on 02/10/2009 11:56:53 AM PST by DoughtyOne (Bipartisainship is now about a 3 to 532 vote on Capital Hill.)
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