Article: Population problem spills into fights in state prisons

SACRAMENTO -- The stabbing attack on four guards at one overcrowded state prison this week and a racially sparked brawl at another mark the type of violence that guards, inmates' attorneys and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have been worried about for years.

The violence comes at a critical juncture for the nation's largest state prison system.

Later this year, a panel of federal judges will consider whether the crowding has become so severe that the state must cap the inmate population or release some prisoners early. Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering a Schwarzenegger proposal to save money for the deficit- ridden state by releasing more than 20,000 inmates before their sentences end.

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