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California Forced to Set Criminals Free?

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    Court orders inmate population reduction

  • Duration 6:56
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App will convicted criminals get -- -- jail early in California that's a question some are asking today.

After a new Supreme Court ruling that ruling says California will have to reduce its prison population.

By upwards of 40000.

Prisoners the High Court ruling the overcrowded facility is subject prisoners to cool.

And unusual punishment now today the city California insists it will comply with the ruling.

So what happens next in -- to explore this Donald slicer is a former Orange County deputy district attorney he's also former police officer.

Larry Levine is the founder of Wall Street prison consultants and he's a former inmate is well.

Evan how far is Sacramento bureau chief for the LA times and we welcome you all because there's so many different sides of the story an Avant.

I think the image we have when we hear that headline.

Is that everything gates open end and the -- just go running out what the reality of this headline.

The reality is it's it's unlikely to play out that way they -- the state has two years to meet this demand it of the court.

And the -- have a plan to shift a lot of prisoners to local facilities and other other local custody programs.

So what's likely to happen -- thousands of prisoners won't get shifted to you to local jails where there's there's some more space in the state will provide them.

Possible funding to houses prisoners but it's likely that it.

Some some folks who currently are having sort of -- -- -- lower level violators like come to those who violate their parole and served sentences of less than ninety days.

Could could be released to home detention programs or you know other other forms a custody where they're not a mock -- Says are as a murderer for example.

Murder one get moved to local or county jail.

Net under there's no plan under which any murderers would be released -- -- moved to your local custom and -- you know the Supreme Court the majority that that ruled in favor of this did say sound adverse impact.

On public safety in some sectors.

Could be expected -- it is actually a possibility what do you think about that and what with your history and law enforcement.

-- there's going to be 46000.

Convicted felons released early in California I can assure you.

That we are not gonna have a welcome home party for these people this is going to hit it negatively impact our community is this -- an anti.

Law enforcement decision.

It did not properly -- public safety and it's gonna turn the clock back to the 1980s.

Where it wasn't safe walking our streets.

-- -- wasn't safe to go on a public place because of all the thieves and drug dealers there out there so.

Doesn't look bad thing for California of the bad decisions.

At Larry you've been behind bars EU that have been able to you what -- -- no different prisoners.

What is your reaction to -- -- headset right.

Well I think that US Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall in 1969 really put it the best.

And then -- he doesn't shed his right to prison gates and to leave them inside under those conditions is cruel and unusual punishment.

Now they're not gonna let everyone's right they're not just gonna let everybody go murderers and -- walk out hit the streets.

We're going to gradually evaluate people at different custody -- security classifications.

And allow the people to go well but there's -- secondary implication here.

What are you gonna do have all these people the parole agents are gonna be overworked.

Back halfway house that are gonna be overworked.

Now we're letting these people hit the streets.

They're not gonna have medical care they're not gonna have jobs you.

-- -- -- -- -- -- Yeah Larry the law enforcement could be overworked please doesn't get to -- arrest these people we're gonna spend millions of dollars bring these people back to justice.

In putting them in a revolving door -- -- -- system -- -- to be really exactly -- -- to be a -- lot -- our officers -- -- -- Take a hit on dozens could be a huge morale problem.

Give orders are resorting to street justice again this is that bad decision -- didn't have to be because the factual findings of the three court panel or based on outdated information.

There was other remedies -- the court could take besides releasing 46000.

Convicted felons into the streets of California.

Well let me just and then -- -- kids and Andy eat you you've got your paper -- it extensively covered this story and -- -- interesting to hear about economics and whether or not we have the money to actually deal with this problem California or any state for that matter.

And there's -- real question here for taxpayers -- authority paid.

To put these convicted criminals behind bars and thorny paid for them -- to have ads delivered these facilities -- -- paid all the people that have supported the courts as well.

And then to hear -- say we might have -- paid twice because they're gonna have to go back in prison again so how does it play out for the taxpayers here in the people that just want their street safe.

Well what what taxpayers have paid for is is a state prison system that that's built -- accommodate I think -- 80000 people.

And what they have is is more than a 140000.

Convicted felons in that prison system and so.

They hear others -- I could add and your paper also profiles in prisons in California went for example.

That that could potentially house sixteen -- prisoners it only has two.

So is that it isn't -- -- prison when it let me just.

Just correcting their -- that's that's not a prison that was it that was a county jail which went 'cause back to an earlier point that the plans to shift a lot of these state prisoners to -- county lock ups.

Right there were there and it was -- my decision was related to the state prison facility.

-- there's no room in our county jail system or other places to put these people what we -- it was this just the act everywhere it doesn't matter probably stay in -- county jail.

Every federal prison the whole system -- stressed -- you've got more people locked up in the strike -- was designed to accommodate.

Big guy if I -- that come up a plan it to come up with a plan dining out one of our family members was in prison got for bed and was sick.

And went in getting treatment -- to have the proper care because there is too many happens every day we probably be the first ones Abbott that prison saying hey they need to be -- and so does Larry have a point there that just just this system is his broken overall.

Justice -- going to dissenting opinion stated that they remedy its problem by problem we've got a problem with the medical facilities within our -- there's -- let's fix them let's is that release.

All these people incidence of the system that's -- the remedy yes there are problems in our prison system but they should be.

-- problem -- problem it's not that the mass release of people followed the interesting what is happening and needs an operation should -- -- the -- year two years want to -- somebody is easy to obtain medical care.

Is it a point that haven't made -- -- Anderson is seen as he correct they correct me and thank -- -- for that.

If if some of these prisoners moving -- -- prison and has all that room maybe they'll get more attention and they do -- -- these larger facilities.

I Donald Larry and -- thank you so much for joining us as a story will continue to follow to see how it develops the ruling just yesterday so.

The implementation to come on that John.

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