California judge halts earlier releases for repeat offenders

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - A California judge has temporarily halted the state's plans to speed the potential prison release dates for repeat offenders with serious and violent criminal histories.

This comes under the state’s “three strikes” law where California corrections officials had filed emergency regulations to boost good conduct credits for second-strike inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses who are housed at minimum-security prisons and camps.

Their daily credits were to have increased from half off their sentences to two-thirds off their sentences starting with the new year Saturday, but 28 of california’s 58 district attorneys moved to block the rule.

This leading to a Sacramento County judge imposing a temporary restraining order barring the change until a hearing next month.

County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert saying in part, “no one is contesting good conduct credits for fire camp work, but sneaking in another class of individuals with serious and violent criminal histories goes too far."