CA heightens push to ease prison crowding
Law & Politics
[##_1L|1062419403.jpg|width="110" height="103" alt=""|_##]Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged legislative leaders yesterday to act swiftly to ease prison overcrowding, saying he would consider early release of inmates who are “old, feeble and sick” and “pose no threat to the public.” The governor said that if lawmakers do not solve the long-standing overcrowding problem, the federal courts may order the release of criminals and the construction of new prisons, taking money that would otherwise go to education and health care.
“This is, of course, unacceptable. But we can make certain this doesn't happen if we act now,” Schwarzenegger said at a news conference after meeting earlier with legislative leaders. He said he is confident that a Superior Court decision Tuesday blocking an emergency move to transfer inmates to prisons in other states will be overturned on appeal.
The out-of-state transfers have been the administration's only plan to quickly ease overcrowding. About 360 prisoners have been transferred, far short of the goal of 5,000.
AdvertisementIn response to a question, Schwarzenegger said the new urgency comes from an order last week by U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson in San Francisco giving the state 90 days to spell out how the inmate population will be reduced in each of the next two years.
“I think by having this order it helps us to speed up the process and really start negotiating,” Schwarzenegger said.
California has more than 170,000 prisoners jammed into prisons designed for 100,000. Inmates are packed into gyms, classrooms and hallways – sometimes in beds stacked three high. Officials are concerned about potential riots.
Related listings
-
Senate panel vote opposes troop buildup
Law & Politics 01/25/2007[##_1L|1251269120.jpg|width="120" height="88" alt=""|_##]A day after President Bush pleaded with Congress to give his Iraq policy one last chance, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee rebuffed him by approving a nonbinding resolution declaring his ...
-
Hillary Clinton to run for president
Law & Politics 01/22/2007[##_1L|1253836729.jpg|width="85" height="92" alt=""|_##]New York senator and former first lady Hillary Clinton has thrown her hat into the presidential ring. In her first public appearance since joining the 2008 White House race Clinton said Sunday s...
-
Bush backing off no-warrant spying
Law & Politics 01/18/2007The Bush administration changed course and agreed Wednesday to let a secret but independent panel of federal judges oversee the government's controversial domestic spying program. Officials say the secret court has already approved at least one reque...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.