Shortened prison sentences, fewer parolees proposed

State corrections officials are proposing to make massive budget cuts ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger by reducing the number of ex-convicts on parole by more than 25% and allowing prison inmates to shorten their sentences by completing rehabilitation programs.

The plan, outlined this afternoon by Schwarzenegger’s corrections chief, Matthew Cate, resembles past proposals offered by the department that have met with strong opposition from local law enforcement officials and have ultimately been withdrawn.

But in a concession to those groups, Cate said his agency would propose legislation enabling police to search former prisoners and seize their property without a warrant for at least three years after their release, even if they are not placed on parole.

The plan would reduce the number of parolees monitored by the state by more than 30,000 from the current 114,000. As a result, fewer would also be sent back to prison for parole violations. Together with the additional time off their sentences that inmates could earn by completing programs, state lockups would see an estimated reduction of about 8,000 prisoners, on average, from the initiative.

Even with the cuts, Cate said, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is unlikely to reach the $400 million in spending reductions for the coming fiscal year ordered by the governor when he signed the budget approved by lawmakers in February.

 Cate said other elements of the department’s plan include cuts of up to 200 positions at the agency’s headquarters in Sacramento, about 10% of its workforce there; adjusting upward the dollar value of property crimes needed for them to be prosecuted as a felony, to account for inflation; and using satellite tracking technology on parolees who commit technical violations, such as failing a drug test or missing an appointment, as an alternative to sending them back to prison.

 --Michael Rothfeld

Comments

[H. Craig Bradley]

Once again the government is letting Barabbas go free- Lots of Barabbases.

GPS Ankle Braclets are a joke. If you want to skip out for a night on the town, just take off your ankle braclet and leave it on the coffee table. To the monitoring service, it is all "hunky dory". (Hopefully, he is not a chronic rapist and you don't have a young daughter living or playing in his neighborhood).

Most states give "short shrift" to property crimes, certainly the liberal pacific states of Washington, Oregon, and California. Judges are soft on most property criminals and sentences are lenient, including identity theft. Nobody jails misdeameanor theft perps anymore. Nobody executes murderers anymore, except possibly in Texas. If they kill twice, then they receive "two life sentences" without parole.

You can get away with alot these days if you are a criminal. In the future, you will be able to get away with alot more crime, especially property theft. Better get a home securty system backed up with Smith & Wesson.

(The police won't even respond to an alarm call in Salem, Oregon unless you have gone to the alarm site yourself and determined if it is a false alarm or an "active burglary" (with forced entry). You have to see the intruder yourself and then call it in to police before they will respond under current city policies. (Too many false alarms and not enough swarn police officers on patrol).

[Elisha]

Quote "propose legislation enabling police to search former prisoners and seize their property without a warrant for at least three years after their release, even if they are not placed on parole."

So the "state", government of unjust laws of unjust men will send out its thieves, to rob and defraud just as they were taught to by the law enforcers. then in 2 years the state unjust men of law enforcement of unjust laws (gestapo) will go and steal what the former prisoners have stolen and robbed. Its just more of the same, Just like the government does in the drug war. Steal from the poor drug addicts, and their pimps who are the drug dealers, kick the poor when they are in the gutter. Cowards rob the poor.

[guity]

Rush's ditto heads might change their minds about increasing taxes if they see their beloved prisons taking cuts...

[Louweegie272]

Does anyone know the percentage of illegal immigrants occupy our California prisons?
Would deporting these inmates help the overcrowding situation?

[I.ramostinsa]

I think they shoul start making room in the prisons for new customers like a corrupt chief of police.

If you havent heard already read about it for yourself. Apparently the chief of police,and corporal, are being investigated by the riverside D.A. for crminal misconduct.

http://msjcpolicecoverup.blogspot.com/

http://msjcpdlawsuit.com/

[WHY?]

Posted by: Elisha | April 24, 2009 at 04:58 PM

tHIS GOES TO ELISHA WHO POSTED Once again the government is letting Barabbas go free- Lots of Barabbases.

GPS Ankle Braclets are a joke. If you want to skip out for a night on the town, just take off your ankle braclet and leave it on the coffee table. To the monitoring service, it is all "hunky dory". (Hopefully, he is not a chronic rapist and you don't have a young daughter living or playing in his neighborhood).

.....JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, SEX OFFENDERS AND RAPISTS DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THIS REDUCTION.

LET ME ADD, THE ONLY WAY THE MONITORS CAN COME OFF IS IF THEY ARE CUT OFF OR AR ELOOSE ENOUGH TO SLIDE OFF. IF THE PERSON MESSES WITH IT, THEY GO BACK TO PRISON.