High court's Calif. ruling could lead to overhaul

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_CALIFORNIA_PRISONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-05-24-19-12-43

ATLANTA (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court decision that ordered California to drastically reduce its prison population to relieve severe overcrowding could encourage some states with bloated corrections systems to overhaul tough-on-crime policies that have led to stiffer sentences, law enforcement officials and experts said.

The court's 5-4 ruling on Monday concluded the reduction of about 33,000 inmates was needed to correct sometimes deadly lapses in medical care. Advocates of sentencing reform say California is an example of what could happen if states don't adopt alternative programs for those convicted of drug offenses and non-violent crimes.

"It should provide even more impetus for other states already working on sentencing and corrections reform to understand that if they don't get our own acts in order, the federal courts will force them to do so," said Douglas Berman, an Ohio State University law professor and expert on sentencing law.

"This is yet more of a reason why these reforms are critical to head off these kinds of dramatic showdowns in court," he said