BROWN V. PLATA: ANALYZING THE REASONING AND EFFECTS OF THE SUPREME COURT'S APPROVAL OF A MASS PRISONER RELEASE.

The article presents information on the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Plata, in which the State of California was ordered to remedy violations of the cruel and unusual punishments clause of the U.S. Eighth Amendment, within the State's prison system. It also discusses the U.S. District Court case Coleman v. Brown, in which class action suit was filed by mentally ill persons in California prisons. Requests filed in each case for reduction of the prison population were granted by the Court