State agencies must reduce prison overcrowding under a U.S. Supreme Court order . The issue came down to a sharply divided debate between public safety concerns and individual rights , a debate that goes into how the three branches of government should balance competing state interests . They need to fix overcrowding and not let loose 33,000 inmates . But state funding remains an issue . California 's adult prisons house 143,435 inmates .
State agencies must reduce prison overcrowding under a U.S. Supreme Court order . They need to fix overcrowding and not let loose 33,000 inmates . But state funding remains an issue . California 's adult prisons house 143,435 inmates .