Dugard Case Spurs New Law To Limit Early Release For Calif. Parolees
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A California lawmaker said on Wednesday that Jaycee Lee Dugard would not have lost her childhood years to captivity if convicted rapist Phillip Garrido had served a longer prison term.
State Senator Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) convened a public meeting in the state capitol to review a 2008 California Supreme Court ruling that eased rules for dangerous felons to be released from prison.
KNX 1070's John Brooks reports he ruling established that "release on parole is the rule" rather than the exception when it comes to convicted felons.
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Gaines said Garrido was paroled from a 50-year sentence for raping and kidnapping another woman before he snatched then-11-year-old Dugard.
"If the nature of the crime was too heinous, too dangerous, we ought to err on the side of caution and not release these prisoners," said Gaines. "Let's keep them behind bars and keep our children safe."
Lawmakers are considering legislation that would force parole boards to assess the severity of an inmate's original crime with any psychiatric reports that claim the criminal is no longer a menace to society.
The proposal comes as a new report shows dozens of instances for which Garrido should have gone back to prison for parole violations.
