SACRAMENTO — California's inmate firefighters will have a shot at becoming professional firefighters once they complete their sentences, under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Friday. The new law will allow state and county inmates who train as firefighters to seek to erase the criminal records that...
California Ups Early Inmate Release Estimate Amid Objections
SACRAMENTO — State prison officials say as many as 17,600 California inmates may be released early due to the coronavirus, 70% more than previously estimated and a total that victims and police say includes dangerous criminals who should stay locked up. The releases also are causing consternation as probation officers...
California Plans Early Release of 10,000 State Prisoners
SACRAMENTO — California officials will soon release another 3,100 inmates from state prisons in response to the coronavirus pandemic and in all now plans to release a total of more than 10,000 inmates, or nearly 10 percent of prisoners, as Gov. Gavin Newsom responds to intensifying pressure from advocates, lawmakers...
California Scrambles for More Firefighters Amid Pandemic
SACRAMENTO — As California enters wildfire season, the state is scrambling to find sufficient firefighters amid the coronavirus outbreak that has depleted the ranks of inmates who usually handle some of the toughest duties and caused a budget deficit that derailed plans to hire 600 new state firefighters and support...
LA Sheriff Says Inmates Tried to Infect Themselves
LOS ANGELES — Two groups of inmates at a Los Angeles County jail tried to infect themselves with the coronavirus by sharing water and a mask, and within two weeks 30 prisoners tested positive, authorities said Monday. Sheriff Alex Villanueva at a briefing showed surveillance videos from two dormitory units...
Kern County Jail Aide Arrested for Conspiring With Inmates
The Kern County Sheriff's Office arrested one of its own in connection with an alleged criminal conspiracy at the Lerdo pre-trial jail. The office announced the April 9 arrest of sheriff’s aide Erik Belmontes, 26, on Tuesday. Bail Set at $110,000 Belmontes faces multiple charges. They include bringing illegal drugs and...
California Seeks 3,500 New Inmate Releases Over Coronavirus
SACRAMENTO — California is planning to release within days as many as 3,500 inmates who were due to be paroled in the next two months as it tries to free space in cramped prisons in anticipation of a coronavirus outbreak, state officials said Tuesday. The move comes a week after...
Northern California Inmates Who Walked Away From Prison Camp Are Captured
REDWAY — Authorities on Sunday captured two minimum-security inmates who walked away from a prison camp in Northern California on Friday night. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found Derek Barnett, 29, or Noah Wilson, 28. Authorities arrested Barnett at 11 a.m. Sunday as he was preparing to leave...
Federal Judges Urged to Free Thousands of California Inmates
SACRAMENTO — Attorneys representing California inmates late Wednesday filed an emergency motion asking federal judges to free thousands of infirm and lower-security prisoners to prevent what they predict will otherwise be the catastrophic spread of coronavirus through a vulnerable population. They want the judges to order the release of inmates...
Report: 5th Straight Year With Under 30 Executions in US
WASHINGTON — Fewer than 30 people were executed in the United States and under 50 new death sentences were imposed for the fifth straight year, part of a continuing decline in capital punishment that saw only a few states carry out executions, a new report issued Tuesday said. But even...