The state of California is looking to provide tens of thousands of convicted felons an early release in an attempt to reduce prison population.
California is set to change the lives of 76,000 inmates, including violent and repeat felons by enabling them to leave prison earlier than their scheduled release dates. The move is to decrease prison population, as California was once home to the country's largest state correctional system.
About 63,000 inmates who were convicted of violent crimes are now eligible for good behavior credits that significantly reduce their prison sentences from one-fifth, the order set in place since 2017, to just one-third. Of the thousands of inmates doing time for violent crimes, 20,000 are serving life sentences with the possibility of parole.
According to Reuters, the new prison measure will begin implementation this Saturday, but prisoners won't be able to get out just yet. The system estimates that it will be months or years before the 63,000 convicted violent felons would see life outside prison walls. Correction officials believe that this new measure would entice prisoners to work towards bettering themselves, but critics are weary that this would pose a threat to the general public.
The new rules will also enable over 10,000 felons who were convicted of a second serious but non-violent offense to be released if they have served at least half of their sentences. They were only previously allowed to do so if they have served two-thirds of their sentence. Non-violent third strikers will also be given the same privileges.
California is also set to allow the same month of earlier release for all minimum-security inmates participating in work camps for every month they spend in it, regardless of the crime they committed. These impactful changes have been approved by California's Office of Administrative Law.
ABC News reported that California's new prison regulations were made to "increase incentives for the incarcerated population to practice good behavior and follow the rules while serving their time, and participate in rehabilitative and educational programs, which will lead to safer prisons," as explained by Dana Simas, a department spokeswoman.
Simas added that a rulemaking process enabled the department to revise the rules without public comment under the "emergency regulations'' category. They are now required to submit permanent regulations in 2022. As California plans to make prisons "safer" by releasing 63,000 convicted felons ahead of time, many are concerned that it would pose a threat to the general public, specifically to the victims they have impacted.
"This order puts our community at substantial risk and does not take into account the impact on the victims of these crimes," Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes argued, as per WND.
It is the state's responsibility to ensure that any felon who is released from prison will not pose a threat to his community. A full rehabilitation is never guaranteed by any amount of time in prison, which is why the order is concerning for many. Criminal justice reform must be a priority for the federal government to ensure the safety of the communities the former inmates will return to.
