Female Prisioners to be Released due to Overcrowding

In a mandated effort to reduce overcrowding in California prisons, thousands of female inmates who have children may be released as early as next week. Over 4,000 women in the state prison system out of an estimated 9,500 female inmates may qualify to serve out the rest of their sentences in their homes.

To qualify, inmates must be mothers to minors in their care, convicted of non-serious, non-sexual felonies, and must have less than two years remaining on their prison sentences. The program may also be extended to the 150,000 male inmates who are primary caregivers to children. Women who qualify will be required to wear GPS tracking devices and to report regularly to probation officers.

The state has instituted this unique program in an effort to reduce overcrowding in California prisons. The overcrowding has lead to inadequate access to healthcare for inmates, causing the US Supreme Court to rule treatment of California prisoners cruel and unusual. The state must reduce the inmate population by more than 30,000 prisoners by July 2013 in order to comply with the Court's ruling.

Anytime people have been charged with felonies, they should take the time to enlist the services of a criminal defense lawyer immediately.