August 4, 2009

Three Judge Panel Order to Release California Prisoners

On August 4, 2009, a panel of federal judges ordered the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to reduce its inmate population of 150,000 by 40,000 within two years. The order specifies that inmates with mental illness must be included in the prison population reduction plan with the understanding that these offenders and technical parole violators would be diverted to community mental health programs. The state had proposed that it should be exempted from releasing inmates with serious mental illnesses. CDCR has 45 days to present a plan that estimates the reductions at six, 12, 18, and 24 months.