The state began reducing its prison population by 6,500 inmates Monday as part of a new cost-saving effort that also includes removing supervision for more than 7,700 parolees in Los Angeles County alone.
The state legislation that was passed last year amid the California budget crisis has alarmed law enforcement officials and victims-rights groups, who warned it would jeopardize public safety and reverse a years-long trend of declining crime rates.
Some law enforcement officials expressed particular concern about a provision that will reclassify 7,720 county parolees from supervised to nonsupervised status - allowing gang members to rejoin gangs and parolees to move wherever they want. Los Angeles County has about 34,000 parolees overall.
"It's very scary how we are being jeopardized," said Nina Salarno, executive director of Crime Victims United of California. "I don't want my child out and about anymore. There are some really bad people who are going to come out.
"I think you are going to see large increases in crime."
While the new law, SB 18XXX, reduces the number of parolees under supervision, state corrections officials said fears of increased crime are exaggerated and portrayed the law as an improvement to the system.
The law expands incentive credits for inmates to reduce their sentences and places parolees on nonrevocable parole status.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Gordon Hinkle said the new policies encourage inmates to complete rehabilitation programs, improve supervision for high-risk parolees and help the state "better partner with communities in managing minor parole violators."
The new policies are expected to reduce California's prison population by about 6,500 inmates over the next year, Hinkle said. That includes placing 1,000 gang members on Global Position System monitoring.
"I consider this reform to be a landmark achievement in improving public safety in California," CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate said.
"This fundamentally changes how we view successful parole supervision from a system that focused mainly on revocation to one that measures both public safety and how well parolees reintegrate into society."
Hinkle said the new law improves the current parole system by allowing parole agents to focus supervision on the more serious offenders, reducing parole agent caseloads and saving the state $100 million.
The law creates a system of "nonrevocable" parole for certain low-risk parolees, Hinkle said. These low-risk parolees will be subject to standard parole search-and-seizure conditions but will not be subject to traditional parole supervision upon their release from prison, Hinkle said.
But Paul Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said the CDCR is trying to "put the best possible spin" on the fact the state is releasing thousands of inmates.
"They are making this sound like a great day for California," Weber said. "The reality is it's not a great day for California. It's just another example where the government has failed to do one of its primary functions, which is public safety."
Although the CDCR claims these inmates are low-level offenders, state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said their nonviolent offenses range from possession of a firearm to domestic violence to human trafficking.
"Our studies show us that, historically, a nonviolent parolee is almost as likely to commit a violent crime as a violent parolee is," Runner said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said the department is very concerned about the plan to reclassify 7,720 county parolees from supervised to nonsupervised status. Given the fact that 70 percent of parolees, on average, violate conditions of their release and are sent back to prison, Whitmore said the new law is going to pose a significant challenge for law enforcement.
"What this means is you can't violate them for a parole infraction," Whitmore said. "They have to be arrested for a new crime. So, pretty much, this means no supervision at all."
During the Los Angeles City Council's Public Safety Committee hearing on Monday, Councilman Dennis Zine said the law is an example of the state's inability to handle its responsibilities.
"We have reduced crime because we put these people in to prison," Zine said. "I fault the governor, the courts and the state Legislature for putting these people back into the community. It is a disaster waiting to happen. It frustrates me that we work so hard to reduce crime and I predict now we are going to see a surge in crime."
Los Angeles Police Department's Gang and Narcotics Unit Capt. Justin Eisenberg said a comprehensive program is being developed to deal with the released prisoners - many of whom are expected to end up on Skid Row. Currently, 27 officers monitor 800 parolees on Skid Row.
"Adding the new parolees will put a strain on our resources," Eisenberg said. "We want to know who is coming out and we will be playing a very active role with our partners in identifying parolees and trying to keep track of them."
Hinkle said the law also establishes and expands drug and mental health re-entry courts for parolees to receive treatment rather than being returned to prison for violations.
Geri Silva, director of Families to Amend California's Three-Strikes based in South Los Angeles, said the organization of family members of incarcerated three-strikers applauds the new law.
"It makes obvious sense," Silva said. "The way it has been has been absolutely criminal. We are spending so much money sending low-level offenders to prison. We have people spending 25 years to life for petty theft when everything is going down the toilet - education, health care and services for the disabled.
"They should be in drug rehabilitation programs. It costs far less and you won't find them going back to prison in this revolving door."
