Ah, more from California, which is $26 billion in the hole after years and years of spending and taxing. One of the sad results of fiscal irresponsibility is that the legitimate core services of government — i.e. criminal justice — are left to make decisions like this. In California they’re now giving some parole violators early release because there’s no money to keep holding them. From the LA Times:
At least 89 inmates have been freed or approved for early release during the last two months. Others have been sent to home detention, drug rehabilitation programs or similar alternative punishments.
They were screened to ensure that they had never been convicted of the most serious crimes, such as murder, manslaughter, kidnapping or sexual offenses, the officials said. The inmates may have been convicted of grand theft, weapons possession, driving under the influence of alcohol or other crimes. Their parole may have been revoked for missing an appointment with a parole agent, failing a drug test, committing robbery or any number of other offenses.
Let’s hope and pray the folks California is releasing come back into society as law abiding, productive men and women.
Let’s also be clear about one related issue. There are cases — such as when an offender has mental problems — that alternatives to jail/prison are appropriate. JLF’s Joe Coletti writes about jail diversion for the mentally ill in this report.
