Introduction

California is in the midst of a prison crisis. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that California prisons are unconstitutionally overcrowded. As a result, the State must reduce its prison population by thousands of inmates by the end of the year. Despite multiple federal court orders, the State refuses to release prisoners, arguing that doing so will compromise public safety. At the same time, counties throughout California have been implementing the Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 (“Proposition 36”), which voters overwhelmingly approved in November. Proposition 36 shortens the sentences of prisoners who are serving life terms for non-serious, non-violent crimes and who no longer pose a threat to public safety.