Impact of the recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) - Essay Example

Impact of the recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United s (SCOTUS), in the cases of Coleman v. Brown (1990) and Plata v. Brown (2001) on the people of the State of California The cases of Coleman v. Brown (1990) and Plata v. Brown (2001) involved serious violations of the constitution in the prison systems of California, which had persisted for years, but remained uncorrected (Anonymous 7). California was then directed to remedy the unusual and cruel punishments clause by a court order from a court of three-judge district.

The first class action involved prisoners who had serious mental disorder (Coleman v. Brown), while the second class action involved prisoners who had serious medical conditions (Plata v. Brown). Release of Prisoners after many years of failed justice in large numbers, if the state did not get another way of complying with the order, is without doubt a matter of grave concern to the Californian people. The state argued that such violations could be reduced by new constructions and transferring prisoners out of the state, hiring more medical personnel and increased efforts by Coleman Special Master and Plata Receiver.

The fast impact of the decision on Californian people is bankrupting the Californian state, (Anonymous 1053). This is because; remedial efforts of meeting medical requirements, food and shelter for prisoners who were highly populated could financially strain Californian sate, rendering it bankrupt. Building of new facilities and hiring of new staff. This is because plans of funding such plans had not yet been secured and while funding of other plans had been delayed. In reference to the fiscal crisis in California, the court declined any remedy which required any additional spending that was significant to the state (anonymous 151a).

On the other hand, Appellants 34 observes that release of seriously mentally ill prisoners is dangerous to the people of Californian state because of the rates of their recidivism. However, the government did not find any impact of public security as a result of releasing such people (Barbara 21). If I were a judge in this court, I would have joined the minority. This is because; I believe that public safety should be prioritized irrespective of any situation. To ease congestion in Californian prisons, the federal government has the responsibility and capability of ensuring that all prisoners are able to access all basic human necessities.

Therefore, the inhuman conditions in Californian prisons are result of government negligence. The federal government should therefore add more facilities and medical doctors plus ensuring that every prisoner can access food and shelter. The government should also take the responsibility of ensuring that the public is taught on the importance of maintaining law and order, thus reducing the number of criminals who are held in prisons. The department of justice and federal Bureau of investigation (268) confirms that public education on law and order could reduce rates of crime by 57.8%. Before allowing the federal district decree to release 46,000 prisoners (Barbara 12), says that the court should bend to the law by ensuring that such a decision does not result into any outrageous consequences.

However, today, the court disregards the stringent provisions of the statute together with the traditional constitutional limitations according to a federal judge power. According to Alito, the constitution does not allow federal judges to run the state panel system. Though the federal courts are responsible in ensuring that constitutional standards are met in prisons, undesirable conditions in prisons that do not cause constitutional violations are far beyond the reach of federal courts. Work Cited Anonymous.

Supreme Court of the United States. California; California press, 2010. Retrieved on 15th June, 2011 from www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-1233.pdf. Barbara, Leonard. U.S Supreme Court Upholds to Reduce Californian Prison Population. Court House News Service. May 23, 2011. Retrieved on 15th June 2011 from http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/05/23/36762.htm. Dept. of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics. Retrieved on 15th June, 2011 from http://www.

ucrdatatool.gov.