Supreme Court Rules California Must Free Tens of Thousands of Inmates

Courts Supreme Court Rules California Must Free Tens of Thousands of Inmates

www.foxnews.com

Courts
Supreme Court Rules California Must Free Tens of Thousands of Inmates

Published May 23, 2011

A sharply divided Supreme Court Monday affirmed a controversial prisoner reduction plan forced on California prison administrators that requires the state to reduce its inmate population by tens-of-thousands to ease overcrowding.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Can you imagine what the state of California is in for when this mass exodus of criminals hits the streets. Not only is this state over run with the most gang activity in the country, now they must deal with hardened prisoners being let loose en mass without jobs, food or shelter. The article indicates it could allow uo to 46000 to be released. This is an epic SHTF scenario.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I could be wrong but doesn't California have some of the strictest laws in the country? Thus putting a lot of people behind bars that, well...probably couldn't pass an emissions test for their vehicle. (exaggerated example)

Many of them would have never been arrested in other countries in the first place. The US has more people imprisoned than any other country in the world, even more than China despite the population difference.

I get the impression that the ones being left imprisoned are your murderers and other serious offenders though I could always be mistaken.


Anyway when you don't have the money you just don't have the money. They're not paying teachers either, cutting music programs in schools and all that.

Originally posted by iamhobo
I could be wrong but doesn't California have some of the strictest laws in the country? Thus putting a lot of people behind bars that, well...probably couldn't pass an emissions test for their vehicle. (exaggerated example)

Yep... They have the "three strikes" thing. Mess up on the same charge 3 times and they automatically put you away for life. Not sure if that applies to traffic tickets or what but it's definitely ridiculous anyway.

First off, there shouldn't be this many people in prison in the first place. Secondly most of them are drug offenders. Thirdly stop living in fear.

They became hardened criminals because of the prison system, don't you get it? The problem isn't people are commiting crime, the problem is they have to in the first place.

Legalize drugs and the problem is solved.

reply to post by sentinel007


The number of nonviolent humans we hold imprisoned in this country approaches absurdity, most likely one of these inmates will released to do something stupid but it is also must likely that our prison system is in desperate need of a complete rethinking.

the corrections system Hardens criminals the exact opposite of its intended purpose

Release all and any drug offenders Now! If they have a problem with drugs we will deal with them on this side; they are doing no one any good being on that side. Case Closed! End of Story!

Tell all Police and Law Enforcement that they may issue citations for Drugs, if found, but no arrests and only a confiscation is necessary! Be Polite and Thank the citizen for their cooperation! Don't forget to Smile, it is your job!

It is finally time to wake up to Nancy Reagan's personal War on the People! It doesn't work!

Most of those offenders are non violent drug offenders...

NO need to keep them in prison anyway.

And besides the US has what, like 3% of it's population behind bars? More than any other country? That's the real problem is this system that encourages the incarceration of people for non violent crimes.

~Keeper

Now that the inmates have to be released...when is this all supposed to take place?

Is this an immediate release (after they weed through the list) or is it slowly going to happen over time?

It's about time they let non violet drug offenders out, no way they should have been in PRISON anyways! Big win for the wrongfully imprisoned !

People who probably shouldn't have been imprisoned in the first place, now have to be let out to an economy that has next to nothing for jobs.

I hope they can find a legal way to feed and house themselves

Originally posted by sentinel007


Can you imagine what the state of California is in for when this mass exodus of criminals hits the streets. Not only is this state over run with the most gang activity in the country, now they must deal with hardened prisoners being let loose en mass without jobs, food or shelter. The article indicates it could allow uo to 46000 to be released. This is an epic SHTF scenario.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm sure they're not releasing dangerous criminals, perhaps it's the tens of thousands of people who are in prison for drug offenses which aren't Constitutional anyways

reply to post by BlackStar99


The problem lies in humans basic needs for food, water, sleep and warmth. No matter how honest and good natured a person is, if they are deprived of these basic needs they will find a way to obtain them. As Gerald Celente states, when people lose everything, they lose it!

reply to post by sentinel007


Crime is so high because of the failed punishments, and unjust rulings. A law abiding citizen gets robbed, the robber goes to prison and is fed, clothed, and is sheltered using that law abiding citizen's hard working money.

That is no justice, and until justice comes, there will never be safety in US, or any other country for that matter.

reply to post by sentinel007


Violent criminal should remain incarcerated until the source and cause of the violence can be resolved. However, I would say if these were criminals guilty of "victimless" crimes and harmed none but perhaps themselves they should be released and funneled out to drug and mental health treatment facilities.

(A big problem is, we do not have enough of these either)

This making it sound like we are letting death row inmates leave to take Walmart Jobs is a ridiculous attempt to gain support for privatizing prisons.

Incarceration is big business and they hope to get much bigger.
With the climate of fear and distrust and lack of viable solutions offered the need for prison space is bound to grow exponentially right along with the population.

Many people are in prison who need either drug or psychological treatment and drugs (or to get off drugs) or counseling.

We often mistakenly treat medical drug problems of self medication in a climate of heavy legal and illegal drug use as criminal problems.
This takes a person who has a drug abuse problem and turns them into a criminal and a danger to society.

This is not true at all in many cases. SOCIETY (as it stands) IS A DANGER TO THEM.

Glorifying and promoting drugs and alcohol in public and on televisions and in publicly supported venues. A drug user does not have the psychological willpower to raise above those influences he or she faces repeatedly and daily. This evolves into a host of other problems. Incarcerating with out treatment is worse than nothing. It jeopardizes not only this life but every life he or she goes on to effect.

I wish we thought more long term rather than short term/ out of sight out of mind solutions that never work and come back to further endanger the society they are designed to protect.

reply to post by iamhobo


Ok.......

lemme just say that I REALLY need to quit staring at your avatar.....

Wow, while this is happening, meanwhile this is happening
seattletimes.nwsource.com...

Anyone jailed for reasons like the above should be released anyhow

Originally posted by sentinel007
reply to post by BlackStar99

 

The problem lies in humans basic needs for food, water, sleep and warmth. No matter how honest and good natured a person is, if they are deprived of these basic needs they will find a way to obtain them. As Gerald Celente states, when people lose everything, they lose it!

Sad but true and since prisons are such big business and a permanent solution to some for all manner of crimes you can about figure how many prisons you are going to need based on the population of a given area and their education level and access to alcohol and gambling as well as illegal drug trade and use.

You can about guesstimate the crime.

You can guess what space you will need to house "criminals" based on a pretty reliable formula of what rules you establish and what percentage of your local population will break those laws.

When you have these numbers you can go to (bribe) a community or a State leader and say the government will provide this much per inmate and we will provide this much given permission to build a prison.
Then this Private Company will short the delivery end, screw the prisoners and pocket the difference to make huge sums off the State or Federal governments per inmate.

Pretty soon you have giants of the stock market vying for the chance to buy stocks in your Private Prison System since they are making money hand over fist and there is no stem on the flow of potential inmates. This is the new Black Gold.

So here is my question:

Reading through this thread, it seems that we pretty much all agree that we have wayyyy to many people in prison. We have 5% of the worlds populaiton, and 25% of the worlds prisoners. Per capita we have more prisoners than any other country. 3 million people incarcerated, and we only have 300 million people. That is a full 1% of our population.

So, if everyone here understands this, and we all know it, why doesn't it change? Who is needing a set of balls? And how do we put those balls to good use?

It is like we all know what is wrong, but none of us is willing to do anything about it.

Like V says, if we want to lay blame we have no further to look than the mirror.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Its because the lot of us understand that voting is a worthless lot due to implied secrecy of the voting system, partnered with the fact that we have corporate and private interests group lobbying politics for personal gain.

There isn't really much we can do besides voice our opnionin and hope that special interests groups will listen, which is highly unlikely. Congress obviously doesn't care because the people they cater to live a life of fear.