In light of the Inspector General’s finding that 450 high risk offenders were among 1,500 mistakenly released from prisons without supervision last year, Democrats still failed to vote for legislation to keep our streets safe.
“Today’s action by the majority party is beyond reason,” Sen. Sharon Runner said. “My measure would have provided the tool for law enforcement officers to pinpoint these individuals.”
“I cannot comprehend their reason for denying law enforcement officials access to basic information to keep our families safe.”
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Senate Bill 55, a proposal by State Senator Sharon Runner to require a new unsupervised class of parolees to register their home address with the county sheriff failed to pass out of Senate Appropriations Committee.
This measure would have helped law enforcement locate unsupervised parolees like the 1,500 parolees who were inadvertently released as reported by recent media accounts.
Specifically, it would require members of the newly created class of non-revocable parolees – who are permitted to live in any county they choose – to provide their residential address to the sheriff of that county within 10 days of establishing or changing residence. Failure to do so would result in a misdemeanor.
Earlier this year, the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation began the process of releasing thousands of inmates to non-revocable parole each month. Unlike a traditional parolee, a non-revocable parolee is not required to reside in a specific county or to provide his/her home address to local law enforcement agencies. Non-revocable parole lasts 13 months.
This policy has had unforeseen complications because law enforcement authorities do not know where many of these non-revocable parolees are residing.
“It is virtually impossible for police and sheriffs to monitor or supervise those parolees living in their jurisdiction without a registered address,” Runner said.