Judge Says Calif. Prison Plan Is Illegal

[Judi Lynn]

Judge Says Calif. Prison Plan Is Illegal
Tuesday February 20, 2007 8:01 PM

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A judge on Tuesday threw out Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plan to transfer thousands of inmates to other states to relieve prison overcrowding, ruling the transfers were illegal.

The governor in October ordered the corrections department to send thousands of inmates to private prisons in other states. Two employee unions, including the one representing guards, filed lawsuits alleging the order violated state law.

Superior Court Judge Gail Ohanesian agreed with the unions and threw out California's contracts with the other states.

``Prison overcrowding in California is a crisis creating conditions of extreme peril,'' Ohanesian wrote in her ruling. But ``this is not the type of circumstance generally covered'' by California law.
(snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6428382,00.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Know this:

Somewhere, buried in the details of this transfer plan, is a delightful way for someone important to Schwarzenpfeffer to make a pile o' cash.

That's what it all smells like from here, and I predict that is what will wash out in the fullness of time.

[Joanne98]

2. If they can't house them RELEASE the non-violent drug offenders.

[PLF]

3. exactly but that guard union always lobbies to criminalize ever more behavior

They are notorious for this.

[Joanne98]

5. I know. We need a counter lobby to neutralize them.

[Trillo]

4. They need to do more than that.

Instead of releasing "non-violent drug offenders", they need to make any of them, now or in the future, no longer "offenders".

"Smoke a joint, go to jail" is ridiculous no matter how it's rationalized.