California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to release nearly 20,000 nonviolent prisoners could possibly increase criminal justice education across California.
If the proposal passes, there are currently not enough parole officers to take on the mass release of the prisoners.
However, according to Bakersfield College criminal justice professor Peggy DeStefano, there will be a natural latitude away from custody to parole positions within the realm of criminal justice. That will require those officers to obtain a level of higher education.
“Up to 4,000 uniform staff and commanding officers will lose their jobs,” said DeStefano. “But it’s never quite clear. BC has an inclination to grow in bad times. What we could do is prepare them for the next phase.”
The proposal was released during the holiday season in an effort to save nearly $10 billion, alleviating the budget deficit for the next two years.
“This is not a liberal nor a conservative issue,” said DeStefano. “It is a constitutional issue. It has been stated by the federal courts that the Eighth Amendment is being offended.”
Stated in the Eighth Amendment, cruel and unusual punishment cannot be inflicted for a punishment of a crime.
According to DeStefano, federal courts have declared that California must alleviate their overcrowded prison system after a judge panel found that the overcrowding in prisons is preventing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from appropriately meeting the needs of mental health care.
“When we incarcerate individuals, we are constitutionally required to provide programs and treatment to mentally ill people,” said DeStefano. “The federal courts have demonstrated that we are not in compliance. Arnold is offering a practical answer to a constitutional problem.”
Kern County District Attorney Ed Jagels’ main concern in a written response to Schwarzenegger’s proposal states that the low-risk prisoners will re-offend in huge numbers if given the opportunity.
According to DeStefano, sex offenders will be considered violent offenders and therefore will not be released in the proposed plan.
“If his plan goes through, the crime rate will skyrocket,” said Jagels. “Thousands of new victims will suffer the consequences.”
Research done by Andy Furillo, a Sacramento Bee reporter, reveals that under summary parole, offenders would remain on what is called supervised release and still be subject to searches by local law enforcement at any time.
These prisoners would not be sent back to prison for technical violations that may include going out of county lines without permission from a parole officer.
“There’s always an irony,” said DeStefano. “The state needs to cut funding by 10 percent. [Kern Community College District Chancellor] Sandra Serrano has been a vigilant watchdog for the district. She put our reserves in place so we are not exposed to the vulnerabilities of the budget cuts right now.”
Jagels would like to see budget cuts made in the “nice to have” areas, doing away with benefits for illegal aliens, not public safety.
“It’s time for our governor to acknowledge that the first duty of government is to protect its citizens from crime,” said Jagels. “Everything is secondary. The legislature has been spending money like drunken sailors on non-essential programs and pork barrel projects.”