More than 63,000 inmates convicted of violent crimes will be eligible for good behavior credits that shorten their sentences by one-third instead of the one-fifth that had been in place since 2017.
FILE - In this April 23, 2021, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Big Sur, Calif. California on Saturday is increasing early release credits for tens of thousands of inmates including violent and repeat felons as it further trims the population of what once was the nation's largest state correctional system. Officials announced in mid-April that they will close a second prison as a result of the dwindling population, fulfilling a promise by Newsom.
Under the change, more than 10,000 prisoners convicted of a second serious but nonviolent offense under the state's “three strikes” law will be eligible for release after serving half their sentences. That's an increase from the current time-served credit of one-third of their sentence. “Additionally, these changes would help to reduce the prison population by allowing incarcerated persons to earn their way home sooner,” she said.Simas provided the emergency regulations and estimates of how many inmates they will affect at the request of The Associated Press.
Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation that represents crime victims, said the notion that the credits are for good behavior is a misnomer. “He’s doing it on his own authority, instead of the will of the people through their elected representatives or directly through their own votes,” Nielsen said. “This is what I call Newsom’s time off for bad behavior. He’s putting us all at greater risk and there seems to be no end to the degree to which he wants to do that.”
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