Inmates sit for dinner at the California State Prison in Lancaster. A federal overseer of the state's prison system has suggested freeing the sickest inmates as a way to cut costs. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times / June 10, 2010) |
The decision was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and backed by the court's liberal bloc. At issue was whether federal judges had the power to order the release of state prisoners as a necessary means of curing a constitutional violation.
A special panel of three judges ruled in 2009 that inmates in the state's 33 prisons were being denied adequate medical care as required by the Constitution. Because overcrowding was the "primary cause," they ordered the state to cap its prison population at 137% of capacity.
The court said the state's prisons had "short of minimum constitutional requirements" and "needless suffering and death" have resulted.
Kennedy noted, however, that the state had begun to reduce overcrowding and said officials deserve time to make changes. The dissenters, led by Justice Antonin Scalia, called the decision "staggering" and "absurd." It "takes the federal courts wildly beyond their institutional capacity," he wrote.
james.oliphant@latimes.com
Nice to see the photo of all the future Democratic voters gathered together for a quick bite... Very telling...