Sacbee — Gov. Jerry Brown said Friday his administration will not comply with a federal court order rejecting his effort to avoid reducing California's prison population, pledging to litigate "until the Supreme Court tells us that we're not on the right track."
The Democratic governor, in China for a week-long trade mission, said he was unaware that a three-judge federal court on Thursday had threatened to hold him and top prison officials in contempt of court, though he appeared unfazed by the prospect.
"I'm sure the people in L.A. would like to see more prisoners out on the streets," Brown said. "See, we have two problems here: Some are saying there are too many people being let loose, and then we have the judges saying, not enough, we need another 10,000 out there. So somewhere we're going to find the golden mean, and I will do my best to make it work."
The dispute follows a U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton decision in April denying Brown's bid to get prison health care out from under federal control.
A special panel consisting of Karlton and two other judges ordered the state in 2009 to reduce its prison population to improve health care in the prison system.
Brown has refused to decrease the prison population by the required 9,000 inmates to reach the court-ordered level.
"Look, California prisons are run by honorable men and women," Brown said. "They're doing the best job possible. We have, I believe from what I'm being advised, among the best healthcare in America and probably in the world. Now the judge sees it differently, and all I can say is I respect his differences, but we will take our case to the higher courts." continue reading...
9 comments:
For the first time I have some respect for our governor! Show some guts Jerry! I'm with you!
Fight that panel of three dumb-asses, I mean judges.
this is what happens when a politician listens to the people, not the criminal
repeal AB 109 its time or do more innocent people need to be hurt?
the state has money bunch of tax bills passed this year what more excuses do they need.
there's need to be an academy already
Build couple more prisons thus overcrowding no more, money is not an issue plus more job opportunities thus no more layoffs. Judges are right on only one thing (not inmates health care, inmates suicides, etc.) on reducing the population is STAFF SAFETY
It's Elementary
The Gov sounds good, but it's just a sound bite.
The courts will not release 20+ years of control over CDCr until THEY are ready, not because the Gov or the new Secretary says we're ready.
Although we've proven able to handle many of what the courts oversee, it will never be that easy to get rid of them once they're in.
AB109 is a band aid that was never going to work. It just caused another set of long term problems while alleviating pressure on a short term goal. All while putting the public at risk from released violent (yea, I called them VIOLENT, because they ARE) criminals.
I'm Just Sayin...
The pie in the sky bull that has many excited has some time attached to it. How long before Jerry can get on the supreme court docket. Meanwhile is the public kept in harms way behind AB-109, the problem dressed up as an answer leaves reasonable people wondering what's really going?
(non,non,non) ab109
that's just inmates starting their horrible, criminal career at least 90% of them. Things are gonna get bad and i don't think they'll get better, time to place them back in prison it seems inmates have better health coverage than most hard working law abiding citizens and more rights too that is absurd
its time to repeal
judges gave brown till december 2013 to reduce population cap
its not going to happen
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