Proposed Settlement to California Prison Overcrowding Lawsuit Features Parole Changes & Diversion Programs; Avoids Early Release of Inmates

OPEN MINDS On-Line News Hot News On June 3, 2008, California officials announced a plan to address state prison overcrowding without releasing inmates early as a settlement to Coleman/Plata v. Schwarzenegger; the proposed settlement includes changes to the parole system, and reliance on diversion programs, as well as plans to build more prison beds. If the settlement is approved, the state would have until September 2012 to meet an inmate population target of 132,500, which is a reduction of about 17%, or 27,000 inmates, from the current population of 171,000. The state’s 33 prisons . . .