Nearly 1,000 inmates have been released from county jails around California following money saving legislation signed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger designed to reduce the state prison population, the LA Times reported.
According to the Times:
More than 300 inmates have been released from Orange County Jail in the last few weeks and about 200 have been freed in Sacramento County, including a man who allegedly assaulted a woman hours after getting early release. On Wednesday a judge in Sacramento ordered a temporary halt in that county’s early releases, saying the legislation applies only to state prisons and not to county jails. The judge sided with the deputy sheriff’s union, which filed suit against the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department to block the releases.
The law redefined the release formula for prisoners giving more credit for good behavior and speeding their release. Officials have said the law would result in the release of up to 6,500 low-level offenders from state prisons, the Times said.
