Legal News

Prison guard union calls for reform at Hastings conference

By Richard Binder

California, with the largest prison system in the country, faces overcrowding levels that have reached nearly 200% of capacity. The federal courts have taken over managing the quality of mental health care in one civil rights suit and the physical health of inmates in a separate case, based on findings that conditions are so poor that the inmates' constitutional rights have been violated.

Currently, a special three-judge panel has held that the overcrowding problems contribute to the poor health care delivery and have told the state it can't build its way out of the problem with new prisons but should reduce the numbers by more than 50,000 inmates. That decision is currently on appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Speaking to a University of California Hastings College of Law prison reform conference, Michael Jimenez, the president of California's powerful prison guards' union, he backs a state sentencing commission to reform prison terms. "We can't overcome the gridlock [in the Legislature]. We need a sentencing commission," he said.

Click here for the NLJ story, and here for a detailed blog about the conference.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on March 24, 2009 (boomark / email).