SACRAMENTO -- California lawmakers continued their review of the state's troubled prison system on Monday as Gov. Jerry Brown's administration received more time to negotiate ways to reduce overcrowding behind bars.
The state is under court order to reduce its prison population by thousands of inmates because a panel of three federal judges determined that overcrowding was preventing access to adequate medical care.
The deadline for cutting the prison population was delayed an additional 28 days on Monday, giving more time for administration officials to discuss a resolution with lawyers representing inmates.
Don Specter, a lawyer for inmates who has battled with the state for years, told lawmakers that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had failed to improve conditions behind bars.