Parole Follies

"California is the only state that places all released prisoners on parole, no matter the seriousness or their crime. Even at a time of historically low violent crime, critics argue that overloading parole agents compromises public safety. Legislation passed this month will reduce the 'average' caseloads for parole agents to 45, from 70, and nonviolent, less serious offenders will no longer be returned to prison for adminstrative infractions. ... The law was hard-won by the Democratic-controlled state legislature. Corrections officer unions, police organizations and prosecutors opposed it, arguing that even parolees convicted of nonviolent crimes were too dangerous to be left unsupervised. ... In fact, Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger announced $280 million in cuts this week to educational and rehabilitation programs inside prison", Solomon Moore at the NYT, 27 September 2009, link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/us/27parole.html.

"Nine sex offenders have been ordered out a makeshift camp behind an office park and on Tuesday sought housing that conformed to state law. The offenders, all of whom are men, had been directed to the spot by probation officers who said it was a site of last resort. Georgia law bans the state's 16,000 sex offenders from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and other places where children gather", NYT, 30 September 2009, link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/us/30atlanta.html.

We should ignore criminal justice "experts", like prosecutors and correction officer unions. Why? Do you expect them to say parole agents should have larger caseloads? It's a likely as the NEA suggesting schools increase class size.

This law should be repealed. You did your crime, you did your time. That's it. Georgia's sex offenders should seek housing wherever they want and dare Georgia to send them back for housing violations. Georgia is broke, see my 26 September 2009 post: http://skepticaltexascpa.blogspot.com/2009/09/wait-listed-by-jail-10.html.