Source: Commons Wikimediaby September 1,2017 at 5:00pm.
CJCJ recommends three key revisions to better align the regulations with the intent of Prop 57:Earned credits should be awarded retroactively.
Those who have been dedicated to their education and rehabilitation should be rewarded for it. The proposed regulations must apply modern program credits to those who have demonstrated a commitment to rehabilitation by participating in programs prior to Prop 57. In recognition of the ways effective rehabilitation aids community safety, CDCR should grant credits retroactively, or ensuring that those who have invested the most in personal growth are recognized for their tough work.
Nonviolent parole must include those sentenced to life in prison for nonviolent offenses under the Three Strikes Law.
Prop 57 was designed to supply accelerated parole opportunities to all those convicted of nonviolent offenses. However,the proposed regulations, as written, and prevent thousands sentenced to life in prison under the Three Strikes Law for nonviolent offenses from demonstrating their eligibility for release. Individuals serving life sentences for a nonviolent offense are among the lowest risk in the prison population and deserve the chance to have that risk fully assessed by a parole board.
Earned credits should count towards early release for those eligible for youth offender or elderly parole.
Prop 57 sought to supply incentives for self-improvement to youth and adults alike. By disregarding the true parole eligibility of those who stand to benefit from youth offender parole or elderly parole,the proposed regulations prevent many in California’s prisons from earning credits towards their modern parole date. No one should be excluded from receiving valid or useable credits based on their eligibility for another program.
The current regulations violate the spirit and letter of Prop 57 in ways that undermine the state’s public safety goals and needlessly burden our prison system. CDCR must to revise its regulations to extend the hope of Prop 57’s reforms to all those making strides in their rehabilitation and demonstrating readiness for parole.
Related Links:Weakening Prop 57 Reinforces Mass IncarcerationProp 57 Resource PageCalifornia Legislature Hears Pros and Cons of Statewide Sentencing Reform
Source: cjcj.org