US
Judge’s Ruling Could Give Over 10,000 Sex Offenders Early Parole
No featured image available
California prisons may be forced to let out thousands of sex offenders on early parole, despite Gov. Jerry Brown’s promises that no such thing would happen.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner’s ruling relates to the state’s recent referendum on Proposition 57 that orders California prisons to consider early parole for non-violent offenders, the Los Angeles Times reported. Brown, a Democrat, had promised voters that non-violent sex offenders would not see the benefits of the bill, but Sumner’s ruling strikes down the exclusion in part.
Now, those convicted of pimping minors, incest, or child pornography possession are eligible for release.
“If the voters had intended to exclude all registered sex offenders from early parole consideration under Proposition 57, they presumably would have said so,” Sumner told reporters.
Sumner ordered that the exclusion be pared down to only affect those currently serving time of a non-violent sex offense, cutting off its effect for future inmates. He also ordered that any sex offender who has served time for their offense but is now serving time for another offense must be eligible for early release.
California’s prisons hold roughly 20,000 sex offenders, more than half of whom committed non-violent offenses. Janice Bellucci, the president of California Reform Sex Offender Laws, filed the lawsuit challenging Prop. 57 on behalf of those sex offenders, claiming there was no language in the law indicating in exclusion, merely a promise from Brown.
“Until they figure something else out, they have to consider anybody convicted of a nonviolent offense even if it was a sex offense,” Bellucci told The Associated Press. “We believe we’ve won a battle, but the war continues.”
Send Tips: [email protected]
The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. For as little as $3, you can help us. Make a one-time donation to support the quality, independent journalism of TheDCNF. We’re not dependent on commercial or political support and we do not accept any government funding.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].