California Proposes Prisoner Realignment Program to Relieve Overcrowded State Prisons
Thousands of female prisoners who have children, and were not incarcerated for serious or sexual crimes, may be released before October, according to The Los Angeles Times. They would serve the remainder of their sentence at home where they will be required to wear a GPS-enabled ankle bracelet and report to a parole officer. The new program was initiated to meet a court-imposed deadline to relieve congestion in California’s chronically overcrowded prisons. Although the program initially only affects female inmates who are mothers, it is expected to extend to male prisoners as well.
The new policy is the result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled the overcrowding and resulting lack of medical care in prisons as cruel and unusual punishment. Now the state must meet a strict timeline, reducing the inmate population by over 30,000 before July 2013. Since the majority of California’s inmates are men, the new program will likely expand to male prisoners who are fathers. If a male inmate can be considered the “primary caregiver” of their child or children, was not convicted for a violent or sexual felony or for child abuse, has not made an escape attempt in the last 10 years, does not belong to a gang, and does not have an active restraining order, they may receive parole.
Skeptics believe that many female prisoners were not good mothers to begin with and that the new program may actually increase crime rates. However, state officials have high hopes that reuniting inmates with their families will not only help their rehabilitation but also help keep their children from following the same path.
If you have been arrested for a crime in Southern California, you still have legal rights. Contact the experienced criminal defense lawyers in Los Angeles with The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf today at (310) 277-1707 to learn how we can help you protect your future.
