Supes wants gang members excluded from parole program

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will ask Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to disqualify gang members from the state's non-revocable parole program, Supervisor Don Knabe announced Tuesday.The decision to write a letter and formally ask the governor was unanimously approved at this week's meeting. State law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to screen prison inmates for eligibility to unsupervised parole prior to release from state prison. While the law contains provisions to disqualify people if they are known to belong to a prison gang, the program does not exclude members of known street gangs. Inmates who are placed on non-revocable parole are not required to report to a parole agent. "Excluding known street gang members from non-revocable parole will ultimately make our communities safer," Knabe said. "Known gang members require intensive supervision and potentially pose a significant risk to public safety."

********** Published: August 19, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 18