california senate
CA Legislature Backing Away from Sentencing and Parole Reform
Two bills which were hailed as steps forward in prison reform either met their death or are now facing almost insurmountable obstacles in the CA legislature. Sen. Lori Hancock’s bill to end the death penalty was withdrawn after “the votes were not there”, according to Sen. Hancock’s statement. However, it is likely this bill will reappear as a ballot initiative for the voters in 2012. In addition, a bill to allow for the possibility of parole in offenders who were sentenced to life in prison while they were still children more »
California Parole Reform Act of 2011
As we mentioned in an earlier post, the politicians, both prosecutors and legislators, are quick to jump on an “anti-crime” bandwagon when it rolls through town and the Parole Reform Act of 2011 is just that. In a guest editorial making its way into local papers, including the Tahoe Daily Tribune which is where we saw it, Senator Ted Gaines and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, both of whom are involved in getting the legislation put before the Senate, spend a lot of time on the soapbox and applauding themselves more »