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California prisoners have entered their third month of hunger strike to protest inhumane conditions like indefinite solitary confinement, but Governor Jerry Brown remains unmoved by their plight. The US Supreme Court has ordered Brown this past month to uphold a lower court ruling to reduce California’s prison population by close to 10,000 inmates by the end of this year.

Rather than complying, Brown has decided to employ a “realignment” plan to deal with overcrowding. His $315 million plan was approved by the Assembly Budget Committee. The plan would add more prison beds by leasing in State and out of State facilities to ease overcrowding.

While Brown’s plan will still need approval from the full California Senate, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg has offered up an alternate plan which would cost $200 million less than Brown’s plan and focus on instead on rehabilitation.

GUEST: Brian Leubitz, Publisher of Calitics.com.