SACRAMENTO (KCBS) — California Gov. Jerry Brown has adopted a parole policy far more lenient than his predecessors, blocking the parole orders of only 27 convicted killers facing life sentences since taking office in January.
Former Gov. Gray Davis let just 9 of 374 convicted killers out of prison during his entire term. While in office, now ex-governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson reversed about 30 percent of the parole board’s decisions in order to keep murderers in custody.
Brown has so far allowed 106 of the 130 inmates who requested parole, decisions Robert Weisberg of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center saw in purely economic terms.
“It’s unbelievably expensive to keep in state prison an elderly prisoner,” he said.
“If you trade that off against the rather minimal likelihood that a 70-year-old parolee is going to commit a violent crime, then the governor’s interpretation reasonably takes into account both public safety and state economic needs,” Weisberg said.
KCBS’ Susan Kennedy Reports:
In most cases where the parole board recommends release, the inmate has already served decades in prison and demonstrated reform, Weisberg said.
That’s cold comfort for a murder victim’s family, or for victims who have survived brutal crimes, said Christine Ward of Crime Victims Alliance.
“Disappointed is the best word I can come up with,” she said.
Ward cited a case where the victim of an attempted murder fled the country upon learning that the man who tried to kill her had been freed on parole.
Ward said her organization would conduct its own review of every case where Brown allowed parole.
(Copyright 2011 by CBSSan Francisco. All Rights Reserved.)
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26 Comments
The state is going to take care of them one way or another. Check out the costs of ALF,s or nursing homes.
When the people loose faith in our system of justice, which many already have they will handle it themselves.
April 29, 2011 at 6:57 pm | | Report comment
That’s great gov….thanks fro the free pass….YOU ARE A FRICKING TOOL
April 29, 2011 at 6:59 pm | | Report comment
I like what he has done so far, but I think being lenient on crime and murderers sets a bad precedent.
I don’t care about the economics of housing murderers. You can’t look in the eyes of the victim’s family and say, “well, I’m sorry your son/daughter was murdered, but money is more important now. Besides, they were killed decades ago. Just let it go.”
Very bad move on Gov. Brown’s part.
April 29, 2011 at 7:22 pm | | Report comment
So you think essentially being released to die (i.e., having lived all your “good years” behind bars is lenient Don)? Yea yea I know, the victims never had a choice, etc., etc; do you have a more thought-provoking argument? Or are you one of those eye for an eye fools that only wants to apply that principle when it doesn’t apply to you?
People like you are the problem with our society, we focus on the emotion/rhetoric of an event, and not the true problem and whether anything can/should be done to change it. Go read a few more books on the state of prisons in our country, then post an intellectual comment (hopefully)
April 30, 2011 at 8:47 am | | Report comment
Totally right Richard! These people are so “programmed” that they can only think based on their anger and emotions. They cannot process information based on facts and what is “real”. Everything is “my way or the highway”, “eye for and eye”. We are in a society that DOES give second chances and believes in rehabilitation. Prisons have proven to be a huge failure in the US and cost Billions of tax payer dollars. If something doesn’t work, then it has to be changed.
April 30, 2011 at 9:01 am
You are right Richard and Jeff….prisons aren’t working. We should try things that work….Chain gang camps for non-capital crimes and swift death penalty for all capital crimes….that will work, just ask the citiznes of Singapore. You are typical California bleeding heart fools. Your liberalism hasn’t worked yet and continues to fail. Why don’t you read a few non-California published books and come back with an intelligent argument yourself.
April 30, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Rich Right, your reaction is typical of the thoughtless knee-jerk reactions that most people find easier. lets hit every problem in society with a hammer and see if fixes it.
Heres my question to you, where do we draw the line? Speeding/cars kill more people than guns do each year. Should we send speeders to jail? I mean, if you’re willing to speed, you’re being careless with the lives of those around you. Or maybe we just double your insurance rates every time you get a ticket. elimiante traffic school, afterall, we want a society that doesn’t recognize/acknowledge mistakes, just choices…right? Am I suddenly striking a cord closer to home? after your first speeding ticket, we’ll stop referring to you as a licensed driver, we’ll just start calling people speeders, or wreckless drivers, etc.
See, you may be holier than thou when it comes to “murderers”; but given enough time, society can slap a label on you as well. suddenly you’ll stop liking it I’m sure.
Crime, even horrific crimes are a part of ALL societies. And Singapore may be the oft cited minority that has managed to be harsh in punishment and has a well-run society. But reality is there are many more examples (Europe) where rehabilitation and second chances are genuinely emphasized, and not simply offered to a select few.
April 30, 2011 at 3:11 pm | | Report comment
Richard….please read my post far below. But for now….why do you label the opinions of others as thoughtless and knee jerk. Have you spent much time in Singapore?? I have.and guess what….their crime prevention methods work. Have you spent much time in the Europe that you so “thoughtlessly” mention above?? I have…and guess what…their methods, like our, do not work. In fact the crime rate in the larger cities of Europe are off the chain…ie London, Paris, etc. So, I guess their rehabilitative methods don’t work either. Once again, why do we not consider the results driven methods of a low crime country and why would anyone in their right mind consider another set of countries whose methods do not work and have high crime rate. To do so would be “thoughtless” and just plain stupid. So Richard, please, not another thoughtless knee jerk post from you my friend. If so, tell me more about the methods of countries whose crime prevention techniques do work. And please, let them be ones you have actually spent considerable time in, not ones you have read about in textbooks, or possibly backpacked in as a college student.
April 30, 2011 at 3:53 pm
so do you want to pay more taxes to keep these guys locked up ? who’s the fool now?
August 11, 2011 at 3:49 pm | | Report comment
This is Jerry Brown, remember his State Supreme Court appointee Rose Bird, she would not let a single Death Penalty case be approved. This does not surprise me a bit.
April 29, 2011 at 8:10 pm | | Report comment
so run for office then.. duhhh
August 11, 2011 at 3:50 pm | | Report comment
We need to stop spending billions of dollars on the justice system that is a failed system. United States is the highest incarceration country of all the countries, yet has very high crime statistics AND a 67% recitivism rate. Maybe letting these guys out is not the answer, but it’s got to start somewhere and we can’t keep paying these gurads $100k+/year to watch over 75 year olds. The money is better spent on education, allowing every US citizen to get an education.
April 29, 2011 at 8:45 pm | | Report comment
Every US citizen is afforded a free education the problem is that we have an 55% public school drop out rate and a 48% college drop out rate. The problem goes a little deeper than educate them.
April 29, 2011 at 8:58 pm | | Report comment
Drop our rates differ from Oakland to Santa Barbara, but I see what you’re saying. Somethings got to change, but why is there over 12,000 gun muders in the US and only hundreds in Japan each year? What is it about the US and violence? Could it be because of the inter-mixing of so many races?
April 29, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Way to go Gov. Brown! Cut the states fire department before fire season and let the convicted murderers run wild. You’re doing a horrible job
April 29, 2011 at 9:01 pm | | Report comment
if you can do a better job then run for office
August 11, 2011 at 3:51 pm | | Report comment
Did our governor forget that a serial killer was recently captured and he is over 70? Don’t tell me a murderer will change once he or she reaches their seventieth birthday.
April 29, 2011 at 10:12 pm | | Report comment
Good for Governor Brown. These people are sentenced to life WITH parole, not life without parole. The worst of the worst get death penalty or life without parole. Some people commit horrible crimes but as a society we have decided they are not beyond help or beyond reform.
Once they serve decades in prison and have proven an ability to behave and have proven that they made honest progress, how much longer do we need to leave them in prison?
April 29, 2011 at 10:37 pm | | Report comment
WE DONT WANT THEM SEND THEM BACK HOME
http://ethicalfutures.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/the-pancake-brawl-ghetto-girls-destory-ihop/
April 30, 2011 at 7:04 am | | Report comment
Gov Brown’s actions show a genetic liberal strain. Sadly, his actions show that money is much more important than, and overrules, our laws and judicial system. Maybe he would feel and judge differently if his niece, nephew, cousin, aunt or uncle were a murder victim of these parolees he has decided to set free. Just saying.
April 30, 2011 at 8:35 am | | Report comment
Jeff and Richard…you two are the biggest tools in the California tool box. “Stop incarcerating criminals because prison guards get paid too much and it just doesn’t seem to work” (summarized)… Is that your answer to the prison problem and your version of an intelligent argument you so solicited earlier from another poster. If that is intelligence gents than God help us all. For one, you are just pointing out more problems like most uber liberals do so well. Where you folks fail so miserably is in the solution department, unless it means giving S$@& away for free. Perhaps criminals can all self-rehabiltate in the homes of volunteers who want to shut down prisons. I would love to see either of you raise your feeble hands to take on such a task, because as most of you and your peers are great talkers, you are definitely severly lacking in the doer department. Like I advised earlier, why not follow the example of a results based society like say Singapore…no crime rate….super clean…ranked one of the happiest places to live in the world in 2010. Public caning (I say chain gang camps) and swift death penalty for capital crimes. I know that your Berkeley profs told you that such things were not a deterent for criminals, but they live in the bubble of academia, therefore they LIED to you….talk to the President of Singapore who has real world experience in this area and he will give you the real skinny. Tools!
April 30, 2011 at 2:37 pm | | Report comment
then why don’t you go to singapore
August 11, 2011 at 3:53 pm | | Report comment
The real fact here is that it takes a democrat to cut the budget. The right uses budget cutting as an agenda, but don’t really have the guts to do what it takes to get the job done. Gov. Brown’s decisions may not all be popular, but are well thought out. He’s old enough that his only legacy needs to be that he did the best he could for his home state.
Not to mention that these folks have been parolled, and are still subject to search without rights that the average citizen holds. I will fully support Mr Brown and his cuts until my neighbor quits driving his state paid for Cal Trans car home at night.
We could have had a Paul Ryan type who gives billions to oil and agriculture in subsides while trying to convince Americans to give up their SS & medicare. The poor and middleclass will soon realize Fox is feeding them lies and fight back, so that all Americans are truly created equal. Not just the rich.
April 30, 2011 at 5:32 pm | | Report comment
Typical mindless post of the left. For one thing no one gives billions to big oil, if you have proof please post it here. Giving up SS and Medicare just more mindless drivel. Releasing killers is their answer.
April 30, 2011 at 6:00 pm | | Report comment
Seriously….I don’t know where these self-proclaimed “more intelligent than thou” leftys get there info. Must be some secret pipeline of information that only they are privy to. Of course when you ask them to show proof they quote philosophers and Cal professors. Ask them to show some semblance of life experience and they quote a text book or another lefty. Why experience the world when you can just theorize and quote others. Like you said….pure mindless drivel.
April 30, 2011 at 10:35 pm
To all you pieces of work that voted this TOOL back into office. Thank you for making California even less safe. MORONS!!!!!!
August 12, 2011 at 12:08 pm | | Report comment