State Budget Provides Money For Prison Changes
SACRAMENTO (AP) — California's new budget provides the framework for the state to comply with a federal court order to slice its prison population by more than 20 percent over the next two years, but also acknowledges the state is not likely to meet its initial deadline.
The plan gained urgency this spring when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the authority of a federal judicial panel to order the release of inmates to relieve overcrowding.
The budget that Gov. Jerry Brown signed last week redirects sales and vehicle taxes to local governments so they can accommodate 40,000 lower-level offenders who otherwise would go to state prison.
Lawmakers delayed the start until Oct. 1, making it unlikely the state can meet the federal court's December deadline to lower the prison population by 10,000 inmates.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
