A federal judge Wednesday abruptly fired the man he had appointed to fix the multimillion-dollar problems of medical care in the state's prisons, after determining the effort was moving too slowly and in too confrontational a manner. […] In an interview Wednesday, Kelso said Sillen had created a set of plans "that were so voluminous that it was very difficult for people to get their arms around them." He said he would craft a "strategic business plan" in an effort to return prison medical care to state control within four years…

U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson on Wednesday removed Robert Sillen as the federal receiver who oversees medical care for California's prison system. Sillen will be replaced by McGeorge School of Law professor J. Clark Kelso. In his seven-page order, Henderson said the receivership needs to move from what has been primarily "an investigative and evaluative phase" toward a system that "must ultimately be transitioned back to the state of California's control…

The talks are not formally tied to Schwarzenegger's proposal last week to release tens of thousands of low-risk prisoners to save the state money. That plan, which essentially reverses the court position he has taken opposing the early release of inmates, is expected to die in the Legislature, where it would need approval from Republicans who adamantly oppose it. But it could become the basis for a negotiated settlement, prisoners' lawyers said…

It is only a matter of time before an emboldened inmate population stretches the muscle afforded it by this weak administration. When that happens, it will be interesting to read how The Reporter's headline editor frames it. After all, if an illicit inmate strike is "exercising rights," a prison riot could well be a "demonstration" by beleaguered detainees…