Another day, another amazing Supreme Court ruling.  In a 5-4 Court ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ordering prisons to release convicts because of overcrowding.  The case, known as Schwarzenegger v Plata (changed to Brown v. Plata).  The end result, California has to reduce its prison population to 137.5% of its designed capacity.  The practical impact is that up to 46,000 prisoners will soon be released from prison.

What Was The U.S. Supreme Court Decision About Overcrowding?

Justice Kennedy led the way for Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan in upholding a cap on California’s prison population.  The cap was originally authorized by the Prison Litigation Reform Act which focuses on violations of inmates’ constitutional rights to medical and mental-health care.  However, the justices did understand that the potential releases is “of unprecedented sweep and extent,” but “so too is the continuing injury and harm resulting from these serious constitutional violations.”   Over the next 2 years, the prison population must be reduced to 137.5% of the design capacity.

With the minimal levels of mental health treatment not being met, the Justices believed that California’s efforts to fix the current problems were insufficient mostly due to the increased prison population.  Justice Kennedy continued that, “this extensive and ongoing constitutional violation requires a remedy, and a remedy will not be achieved without a reduction in overcrowding. The state shall implement the order without delay.”

Why Did Four Supreme Court Justices Disagree With The Overcrowding Ruling?

With such a close decision, it’s not surprising that the dissenting judges held little back in their opinion.  Justice Scalia went so far as to say that “Today the Court affirms what is perhaps the most radical injunction issued by a court in our Nation’s history:  an order requiring California to release the staggering number of 46,000 convicted criminals.  “   Scalia continued, “One would think that, before allowing the decree of a federal district court to release 46,000 convicted felons, this Court would bend every effort to read the law in such a way as to avoid that outrageous result.  Today, quite to the contrary.,..”  It seems that Scalia believes that those who will be released won’t be the sick or mentally in, rather he said “Most of [prisoners ordered released] will not be prisoners with medical conditions or severe mental illness; and many will undoubtedly be fine physical specimens who have developed intimidating muscles pumping iron in the prison gym.”