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SACRAMENTO – A Sacramento County Superior Court Judge recently issued a preliminary order that could mean early parole for thousands of sex offenders under Proposition 57. The editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune explains why the governor’s criminal justice reform measure is deeply flawed.
Excerpted editorial:
… in 2016, our board could not bring itself to endorse Proposition 57, a deeply flawed measure Gov. Jerry Brown trumpeted as a big step forward for the criminal justice reform movement. The problem was that the measure was originally supposed to target juvenile justice, but it was revamped into a much broader constitutional amendment that stated anyone convicted of a nonviolent felony offense would be eligible for early parole consideration … The governor and his allies insisted they could finesse this by having the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) show discretion in Proposition 57 parole decisions. But now a state court has at least partly challenged that claim. Last week, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner issued a preliminary order requiring corrections officials to change some of its Proposition 57 regulations in a way the Associated Press reported could lead to earlier parole for thousands of sex offenders. … What a mess. Gov. Brown’s reputation as the sharpest politician in Sacramento has taken a major blow. …
Click here to read the full editorial in the San Diego Union-Tribune.