33,000 Inmates from State Prisons to be Released

After an order from the U.S. Supreme Court, California has to eliminate 33,000 inmates from its prisons due to overcrowding and basically inhumane conditions. Inmates will be released, sent to other states or sent to county jails to serve their sentences. Various county officials expressed their reservations over the reduction plan which has to be carried out over a period of two years. Another concern is for the condition of the county jails. An attorney with the ACLU explains that the county jails also have terrible conditions. L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich said that L.A. County does not have mental health program in its jails or the money to house additional offenders. According to the NPR report, low level offenders will most likely be sent to county jails while violent felons or sex offenders will not. In order to take on more inmates L.A. County needs more staff, more space and more mental and medical services, all of which mean more money is needed. California is currently struggling with its budget and many sectors are or will face serious budget cuts. Throwing more money into the jail system means more revenue has to be generated or allocated.