Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/10pdf/09-1233.pdf
Page Number: 53

Cite as:  563 U. S. ____ (2011) 

47 

Opinion of the Court 

required  reduction  to  five  years  from  the  entry  of  the
judgment  of  this  Court,  the  deadline  proposed  in  the 
State’s  first  population  reduction  plan.    The  three-judge
court  may  grant  such  a  request  provided  that  the  State
satisfies necessary and appropriate preconditions designed 
to ensure that measures are taken to implement the plan 
without  undue  delay.  Appropriate  preconditions  may
include  a  requirement  that  the  State  demonstrate  that  it
has  the  authority  and  the  resources  necessary  to  achieve
the required reduction within a 5-year period and to meet
reasonable  interim  directives  for  population  reduction.
The  three-judge  court  may  also  condition  an  extension  of 
time on the State’s ability to meet interim benchmarks for 
improvement  in  provision  of  medical  and  mental  health 
care. 

The  three-judge  court,  in  its  discretion,  may  also  con-
sider whether it is appropriate to order the State to begin 
without  delay  to  develop  a  system  to  identify  prisoners
who  are  unlikely  to  reoffend  or  who  might  otherwise  be
candidates  for  early  release.    Even  with  an  extension  of 
time  to  construct  new  facilities  and  implement  other 
reforms,  it  may  become  necessary  to  release  prisoners  to
comply  with  the  court’s  order.    To  do  so  safely,  the  State
should devise systems to select those prisoners least likely
to  jeopardize  public  safety.  An  extension  of  time  may 
provide the State a greater opportunity to refine and elab-
orate those systems. 

The State has already made significant progress toward 
reducing its prison population, including reforms that will 
result  in  shifting  “thousands”  of  prisoners  to  county  jails. 
See  Supp.  Brief  for  Appellants  at  1.    As  the  State  makes 
further  progress,  the  three-judge  court  should  evaluate
whether  its  order  remains  appropriate.    If  significant
progress is made toward remedying the underlying consti-
tutional  violations,  that  progress  may  demonstrate  that
further population reductions are not necessary or are less