Mass prison exodus?

Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration received a federal order to release 9,600 state prisoners by the end of the year to alleviate prison overcrowding.

The order, made by three federal judges on June 20, aims to reduce the state-prison population to from 149.8 percent to 137.5 percent of capacity, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the ruling, the judges said no further delays to reduce the prison population would be granted, recommending the state expand the use of good-behavior credits to expedite prisoner release. In the event California does not comply with the order by the end of the year, prisoners will be released based on a list of “low-risk” offenders.

In 2006, a federal judge ruled federal oversight of California’s prison system was necessary after finding that an average of one inmate died weekly due to medical malpractice or neglect.