California Considering Early Release of 22,000 Prison Inmates

The state of California is considering a plan by that state's governor to ease prison overcrowding through the early release of more than 22,000 inmates.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Jan. 12, 2008 ("22,000 Prisoners Could be Set Free Early to Save Millions") that "Less than six months ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised that there was no way any California convict was going to get a break on his prison term. 'I am here to tell you that the early release of inmates is totally unacceptable,' the governor said July 28. 'They should only be let out when they have served their sentences and are ready to return to society. Period.' But with the state facing a $14.5 billion budget deficit over the next 18 months, Schwarzenegger on Thursday announced that more than 22,000 nonviolent offenders will be released as much as 20 months early over the next year and a half in an effort to slash $260 million from the Department of Corrections budget. About half the inmates eligible for the early release program are expected to be drug offenders, with most of the rest in custody for property crimes like forgery, auto burglary and car theft, corrections officials say."

According to the Chronicle, "The state expects to save another $110 million by placing the former inmates on 'summary parole,' which means they won't have to meet with parole officers and can't be returned to prison for a parole violation. A panel of federal judges, upset about overcrowding in the state prison system, is ready to slap a cap on the prison population, the governor said, just as the state's fiscal crisis is forcing 10 percent, across-the-board cuts in state spending."

The Chronicle noted that "The new parole rules for such nonviolent offenders also mean they can't be quickly returned to prison violating parole. If police discover someone on summary parole with narcotics, for example, they can't simply ask a judge to send him to prison. They will have to file new charges and put the parolee on trial, a long and often expensive proposition. If Schwarzenegger gets his way, plenty of ex-convicts are going to be back on the street and local officials are worried about what that will mean. Even nonviolent offenders often return to their communities with drug problems, no jobs and no place to stay, said Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson."