Supreme Court Orders State to Release Prison Inmates; Consequences Unclear for Local Police

Arcadia Interim Police Chief Bob Guthrie voiced his opposition Monday to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will force California to release tens of thousands of prisoners in the coming years and said the implications of the decision remain to be seen for Arcadia.

In a 5-4 ruling issued Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that California's overcrowded prisons violate inmate's constitutional rights and constitute cruel and unusual punishment by endangering prisoners' health and safety. The court's ruling upheld a California District Court decision made by a three judge panel that orders the state to release between 38,000 and 46,000 prisoners in the next two years.

“The early release of felons from state penitentiaries into L.A. County (and its communities) is a bad thing–especially considering that California’s recidivism rate is one of the highest in the country,” Guthrie said. “This, coupled with Governor Jerry Brown’s expressed intention of realigning the responsibility of monitoring parolees from state to local authorities, is concerning to say the least.”

David Fathi, director of the ACLU's National Prison Project, applauded the court's decision to address "the egregious and extreme overcrowding in California’s prisons" in a statement issued Monday.

"Today’s decision crystallizes the urgent need for California to invest in meaningful parole and sentencing reforms and alternatives to incarceration, especially for low-level, non-violent offenders," Fathi wrote.

The state currently has about 142,000 inmates in its prisons, according to the Los Angeles Times. The criteria for determining who should be released is still being worked out, authorities said.

Guthrie said it was too early to state with certainty how the Court’s decision will affect the City or the department’s policing strategies.

“Our priority is to make Arcadia the safest community possible,” Guthrie said. “Any court decision that has the ability to impact public safety is one that all law enforcement agencies watch closely.

“You have to remember that we [law enforcement] are in this together,” he added.  “The issue of early release has the potential to impact all communities, no matter where a particular felon is released. Criminal activity does not stop at a given city limit and therefore, it is incumbent on agencies to work together to best resolve these issues.”