Editorial: Brown’s ‘Gambit’ for Prisons Has ‘Failed,’ Gov. Should Seek Settlement on Inmate Reduction Plan

A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that a recent ruling by federal judges that rejected portions of a compromise prison population reduction plan by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and Democrats shows that "Brown's gambit to reduce prison overcrowding by relying solely on more prison capacity has failed." According to the editorial, the judges -- who ordered the Brown administration not to send prisoners to out-of-state facilities -- "have made it clear they want to see" the state negotiate with prisoners' lawyers. The editorial states, "It is time for the governor to abandon his defiance strategy and negotiate a settlement that will end the legal cat-and-mouse over state corrections."

• "Editorial: Accelerate Moves To Reduce Prison Crowding" (Sacramento Bee, 9/26).