State Senator Brian Dahle, District 1 | Official U.S. Senate headshot
State Senator Brian Dahle, District 1 | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Legislative leaders have expressed their opposition to a proposed plan for the early release of inmates in California. In a letter addressed to the Governor, they highlighted several concerns regarding public safety and the integrity of sentencing.
"California already has a prison incarceration rate significantly below the national average. The state’s inmate population has fallen significantly in recent years14 and you have proposed to close two prisons," they wrote. "There is no budgetary or policy reason why the Department should expand the early release of inmates. Particularly in the current climate, accelerating the release of the most serious and violent felons jeopardizes public safety. It also makes a mockery of the concept of truth-in-sentencing when inmates serve a small fraction of their court-ordered sentences."
The letter underscores that despite recent reductions in inmate numbers, further releases could compromise community safety by allowing serious offenders back into society prematurely.
The full text of the letter can be found at: https://sr01.senate.ca.gov/sites/sr01.senate.ca.gov/files/CALegLtrCDCR_0.pdf
California's 1st Senate District includes all or parts of 15 counties: Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Siskiyou, and Shasta. It also serves deferred areas of Tehama, Butte, Colusa, and Glenn counties.
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