California: Thousands of jail inmates freed under new law

by Demian Bulwa
San Francisco Chronicle
February 5, 2010

A law designed to thin California's bloated criminal lockups by shortening some sentences has prompted the release of thousands of nonviolent county jail inmates in recent days.

The measure has fueled controversy - because everything relating to the release of convicts does - and confusion, because the law fails to spell out exactly which inmates it applies to.

As a result, county jail officials in the Bay Area have interpreted the law in at least three different ways. Some have released dozens of inmates, some just a few.

State leaders have been asked to weigh in. But the issue grew more delicate when Sacramento County officials said an inmate they released Monday - 16 days early under the new law - was arrested within hours on suspicion of attempted rape.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/05/BABV1BSMQN.DTL

period.

(for the most part; Madoff-sized crimes need tough penalties even though no one got stabbed or shot)

...but generally, agreed.

even then, there ought to be a separate system for non-violent folks. Throwing 'regular' people into a violent system just makes things worse, ultimately.

I hope they release all their inmates that are in for drugs.

That statement to me is very short-sided.

Almost all white collar crimes are "non-violent" yet, in some ways they affect far more people in far more horrific ways. How many thousands of people no longer have a dime to retire on because of Madoff? What about other White Collar crimes.. like the idiots who just dumped the entire mortgage & housing industry for ballooning profits?

They should all be in jail.. and they're precisely the kinds of people who just walked free.

just that putting them into a violent prison system doesn't really rehabilitate them, it ruins them as human beings.

Wouldn't put it past them.