Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation say the policy is designed to save $500 million. CDCR officials say it’ll also ease prison overcrowding by freeing as many as 6,500 inmates.

 

But Nina Salarno-Ashford with the crime victims group says the state is violating early-release restrictions approved by state voters in 2008 to protect victim’s rights.

“As far as saving money there are other alternatives. In 2007, AB 900 was passed which provided $7.2 billion for construction of new prisons. That money’s sitting there. They are owed money from the federal government for housing their inmates and the governor and CDCR have not gone after that.”

 

The inmate release law that took effect in January grants reduced prison terms to low-risk felons if they take job classes or earn high school equivalency diplomas.