We’ve recently learned of plans under consideration that disregard the safety of Californians to such a degree that not only is greater attention warranted, but a prompt explanation is necessary.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the state intends to terminate 841 employees in its parole division by September 2013. According to Jeff Doyle’s reliable parole blog, the state has also drafted plans to close six prisons.

According to reports, in a statewide conference in June, State Parole Director Robert Ambroselli told parole agents throughout California that state officials had created a plan to effectively end parole supervision in California by eliminating 80 percent of field staff. Closure of six prisons would come after completion of “parole redirection” and compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s prison overcrowding ruling.

Some state officials may be using the Court’s order as a smoke screen for their plans, hoping the public will believe the closures and parole cuts are also part of the Court’s mandate. The ruling ordered a reduction in the inmate population, but it did not mandate that prisons be closed or that inmates be freed without supervision.

If the reports are accurate, it is troubling indeed that state leaders would so readily risk hard-won gains in public safety by essentially eliminating supervision of released inmates and unnecessarily closing six of the state’s prisons. These officials should promptly confirm or deny Ambroselli’s statements. Californians are entitled to know what lies ahead for the prison and parole systems, and ultimately, their safety.