The transition from prison to freedom is being eased for hundreds of former inmates given beds in community rehabilitation centers.
An estimated 1,000 non-violent three strikers have been released in the wake of Proposition 36, which voters approved in 2012, reported the San Jose Mercury News. Initially they were not eligible for re-entry services.
Now they are being allowed to fill available beds in community facilities from Yolo to San Diego counties.
The arrangement was worked out involving the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Stanford’s Three Strikes Project, state Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.
“Here’s a great example — government can work,” said Shelley Curran, a Judicial Council of California manager.
The lack of resources for this demographic became apparent with the realization that these non-violent three strikers would not be on parole, thus leaving them without access to programs readily available to parolees.
Michael Romano, director of the Three Strikes Project, lauded the prison system for its work in helping foster this deal, citing that this was a huge step in the right direction. “They did the right thing here by opening parole support services to people who desperately need help,” Romano said.
Proposition 36 did not set up any relief services to accommodate the large number of lifers that would be released.
–By Isaiah Thompson-Bonilla
