Supreme Court Orders State to Release Prison Inmates: Will it Affect Our Neighborhood?

The implications of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will force California to release tens of thousands of prisoners in the coming years remain to be seen for local police departments.

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.

Monrovia Interim Police Chief Jim Hunt said that he has opposed the release of prisoners through his participation in the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association and is now waiting to see how the order will be carried out.

"Certainly anyone in law enforcement would be opposed to the release of inmates back into the community because historically there's a 70 percent recidivism rate," Hunt said.

Still, he cautioned, "I don't think folks should panic. It's not going to mean that hundreds of prisoners will be released back into Monrovia. You might be talking one or two,'' he said, adding the criteria for determining who should be released is still being worked out.

At the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, which patrols La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta, Capt. Dave Silversparre responded evenly to the ruling.

"The [sheriff's] department already has programs in place to monitor parolees released from prison. And that is something we will continue to do. We will meet with parolees once they come out, and continue with the compliance checks,'' he said.

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. Since Los Angeles County is by far the most populous in the state, Hunt said the majority of prisoners released would return to the county.

La Cañada Flintridge Patch Editor Donna Evans contributed to this story.