Federal Court Orders California to Release 43,000 Prisoners

Conditions at prisons in this state are so bad, that a federal court has ordered California to release 43,000 prisoners, or 27% of our prison population, within two years. The California prison system is designed to hold 84,000 people and currently holds 158,000, operating at 188% of its designed capacity. The cramped conditions of the prison system result in the otherwise preventable death of one prisoner per week. Governor Schwarzeneggar supports a plan that would move some prisoners into home detention or county jails, but many offenders will be released early. My guess is that our Three Strikes law has something to do with this.