U.S. Supreme Court Will Not Delay Release of 10,000 Prisoners in California

On August 2 the U.S. Supreme Court refused California Governor Jerry Brown’s (D) emergency request to halt the release of inmates from that state’s prison system.

This means the June order for Brown to release approximately 10,000 prisoners stands and Brown is expected to comply.

According to the AP, Brown and his attorneys fought this order believing compliance with it will include the release of “violent criminals and overwhelm the abilities of law enforcement and social services to monitor” the newly released prisoners.

Attorneys for the state of California pointed out that no state has ever released such a large number of prisoners at once, and that “no data suggests that a sudden release of inmates with [violent] characteristics can be done safely.”

Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas dissented from the court’s decision. All three said they would have “granted the state’s request” to halt the release of prisoners.

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