May 24, 2010
Schwarzenegger’s Non-revocable parole causing trouble for police?
...Most people don't realize "non-revocable parole" went into effect in California on Jan. 25. This law authorizes the state to release thousands of "non-violent" offenders from prison without placing them on traditional parole. In other words, a parole agent will not check up on them and they cannot be returned to prison unless they commit another crime. The intent was to ease the overcrowding, reduce the budget and allow agents to concentrate on more violent offenders.
Proponents say only non-violent prisoners are being released on the streets of our communities. A non-violent parolee is defined as a person who was not sent to prison for a "serious felony," who did not commit a serious disciplinary offense while in prison, who is not a member of a prison gang, and someone Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation determined was not likely to re-offend.
Three of the parolees I mentioned earlier were on parole for "non-violent" offenses. The guy who was crawling out of the basement window was on parole for dealing drugs. The man who robbed the two boys at Tokay High was on parole for possession of stolen property. The woman who hid on the roof was also on parole for possession of stolen property. The suspect who tossed the gun was on parole for burglary, which, according to the penal code, is a "serious" offense. He was convicted of burglary after he entered an empty house and took a computer...
LINK - LodiNews.com - Opinion/Column
