Supreme Court Says California Must Trim Thousands of Inmates

California must trim its prison population by tens of thousands to help reduce "needless suffering and death" caused by overcrowding, the United States Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The 5-4 decision upholds a lower court decision, and could mean more than 30,000 inmates will have to be let go over the next two years. San Diego is home to one of the state's men's prisons: RJ Donovan Correctional Facility, with more than 4,000 inmates in a facility designed to hold just 2,200.

In January 2010, KPBS ran a photo gallery showing life inside RJ Donovan Correctional Facility. Images depict inmates sleeping in gymnasiums, working in the bakery and shoe factory, and receiving group therapy in holding cells.

The total population, as of the most recent CDCR weekly population report, was nearly 147,000 inmates for a system with a stated design capacity for only about 84,000. The Supreme Court ruling put the system's capacity at just under 80,000 and caps the state's prison population at 137.5 percent of design capacity, or about 110,000 inmates.

The Supreme Court ruling supported the lower court's finding that there was "no realistic possibility" of California solving its overcrowding problem by building more facilities due to the ongoing fiscal crisis. The Court also found that the release of about 9,000 prisoners during the appeal shows it can be done without a negative effect on public safety.

The ruling cites insufficient medical and mental health care for inmates as reason for the release. It also noted that "as many as 54 prisoners may share a single toilet" and there backlogs of up to 700 inmates waiting to see a doctor for care. The state can ask for flexibility in the two-year window to reach the target population.

The ruling and weekly prison population report are attached to this story. They can also be found here:

• U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Plata (May 23, 2011)
• CDCR Weekly/Monthly Population Reports (May 18, 2011)

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*Source: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Weekly Population Report, May 18, 2011.