According to a report from NBC News, in attempt to cut the overflowing prison population in the Golden State, California is scheduled to release some 76,000 prisoners early, including violent felons and repeat offenders.
The report said that over 60,000 of the inmates convicted of violent crimes with good time could cut their sentence shorter by more than 30% rather than the current 20% of their time served. Also, all minimum-security inmates in work and firefighting camps are eligible for the same month of earlier release for every month they spend in the camp and the severity of their charge won’t affect their release.
California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Dana Simas said, “The goal is to increase incentives for the incarcerated population to practice good behavior and follow the rules while serving their time and participate in rehabilitative and educational programs, which will lead to safer prisons. Additionally, these changes would help to reduce the prison population by allowing incarcerated persons to earn their way home sooner.”
