This article describes the dangerous situation that has been created under the current California prison system and quotes a section from the in-depth study the Stanford Criminal Justice Center conducted

It found that key sections have been amended at least 80 times to increase criminal penalties. Sentences have also been increased by limiting a judge's discretion to take a range of factors into account when imposing sentences. "The result is a chaotic labyrinth of laws with no cohesive philosophy or strategy," the report states.