Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced today that she and several elected District Attorneys across California submitted California Public Records Act requests to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) seeking data on the number of inmates released from prison since January 2019. The purpose of this request was to fully understand how much time inmates are serving of their court-ordered sentences.
District Attorney Schubert stated, “We became aware of CDCR releasing inmates significantly shorter than their court-ordered sentence time, sometimes after serving less than 50% of their time, when those individuals were re-arrested while our records showed they should be in prison. District Attorney’s Offices across the state have also seen a disturbing trend of individuals given parole consideration long before their court-ordered sentence time.”
Schubert labeled the data on released inmates from CDCR highly disturbing, stating “The number of serious and violent inmates being released into our communities after having served only a fraction of their court-ordered sentence is alarming. Crime victims are being ignored and abandoned by the decisions of CDCR to grossly reduce the sentences of these inmates. The victims of these violent crimes and the public at large have a right to know the continuing trend to release dangerous inmates into our communities, particularly those without adequate rehabilitation. We will continue to be vigilant in notifying the public of these releases that pose a danger to the public.”
The Sacramento Bee covered the story of Alberto Morales Quiroz. Quiroz was convicted in 2017 for causing the death of California Highway Patrol Officer Lucas Chellew during a high-speed chase on a stolen motorcycle. In January 2018, Quiroz was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After serving approximately 1/3 (3 years, 5 months) of his sentence, he was released from prison on July 7, 2020. Quiroz was arrested on May 5, 2021 and is currently pending several new charges including assault with a semi-automatic firearm with a high capacity magazine, making terrorist threats and possession of a firearm by a felon. [https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article251354808.html]
Recently, the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office notified the public of the early parole consideration for Paul Eugene Robinson (dubbed the 2nd Story Rapist). Robinson had been sentenced to 65 years in 2003 for multiple forcible sex crimes. After serving only 1/3 of his prison sentence, CDCR in conjunction with the Board of Prison Terms scheduled Robinson for a parole hearing this month. [See Press Release]
Schubert stated the early prison releases include both serious and violent offenders. In 2015, Aaron Caudillo was arrested and convicted of three counts of gross vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol. Caudillo drove the wrong way on Interstate 80 in excess of 80 miles per hour at 2:00 a.m. He collided head on with another car, killing three people inside that car. Sentenced to 14 years in prison, Caudillo was released in 2019 after serving only 4 years on the 14-year sentence. [https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article41257806.html]
In May 2021, 44 elected District Attorneys across California filed a lawsuit against CDCR for drastically increasing the calculation of credits for violent and serious offenders without allowing any input from the public, including crime victims. CDCR bypassed the regulatory process by labeling the dramatic increase in conduct credits an “emergency measure.” [See Press Release and Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief]. The elected District Attorneys are seeking a preliminary injunction in Sacramento’s Superior Court to stop CDCR from awarding additional credits until the lawsuit can be heard. A ruling on the preliminary injunction is expected tomorrow, July 7th.
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