October 18, 2010
CDCR admits “flaws” - non-revocable parolees causing problems
...At the time of his arrest, Diaz was the beneficiary of "non-revocable parole" status. California categorizes thousands of parolees as NRPs each month if they meet certain key criteria and are deemed "non-serious and nonviolent" offenders.
NRP status can change a parolee's life dramatically, and often for the better. Parole officers stop monitoring them. They are free to travel. And unless they commit another crime -- and are rearrested, retried and reconvicted -- the state can't send them back to prison for routine technical violations of any kind.
The law's proponents argue it is a commendable attempt to give nonviolent felons a chance to thrive after prison.
Critics contend the law is defective and even dangerous, and has enabled scores of violent criminals to roam free and unchecked across California, committing crimes that might never have happened if they had been under active parole supervision...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
