California jail reform vote delay
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8219515.stm Version 0 of 1. A vote on a plan to release 27,000 prisoners early as part of attempts to tackle budget problems has been delayed in the California Assembly. The proposal is part of a solution to a $26bn budget deficit and the problem of chronic prison overcrowding. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass put off the vote, originally set for Monday, as she worked to build support for the bill. A federal court ruled recently that California inmate numbers be cut by 40,000, saying conditions were awful. Just two weeks ago, prisoners rioted at a facility near Los Angeles, setting fire to cell blocks. More than 100 were injured at the California Institution for Men in the southern town of Chino. Racial tensions were blamed. The early release of thousands of prisoners could save California more than a billion dollars as well as easing overcrowding. Opponents of the idea say it will put dangerous criminals back on the streets. Thanks to tough laws the state has nearly 170,000 people in prisons that were designed for far fewer. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks releasing low-level offenders - like those near the end of their sentences - would be a better use of scarce resources. However, no politician here wants to be seen as soft on crime. So, lawmakers are divided but they must reach agreement. "Work is moving forward on a revised plan to increase public safety, improve the effectiveness of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and reduce state budget costs," Ms Bass said in a statement. She said there had been a number of discussions, including with representatives of law enforcement. "Those conversations are continuing. When we arrive at a responsible plan that can earn the support of the majority of the Assembly and makes sense to the people of California, we will take that bill up on the Assembly floor." |