Written by Julianne Foster
Last week, San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar and San Marcos Mayor wrote a joint letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom regarding their growing concerns for the release of thousands of dangerous criminals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The purpose of this letter is to express our growing concern about the threat to public safety in our region,” they wrote.
In March, California responded to the dangers of those who live and work within the 35 prisons in the state prison system by announcing the early release of 3,500 inmates. Their selections were said to be heavily reviewed to only release inmates deemed not dangerous to public safety.
Fast forward to July, and the state announced the release of another 8,000 inmates, many of whom are clearly a direct threat to public safety. Their release is based on their perceived level of threat to the public and the health complications they have, which may expose them to severe complications with contracting COVID-19. Through “expedited” paroles, these criminals would be returned to the streets because the state apparently couldn’t find any other way to handle their safety from the virus—other than to sacrifice the safety of innocent, law-abiding citizens.
“Each and every one of these cases are sobering, challenging, and there’s a deep responsibility that comes with this job, but a sense of deep urgency as well to decompress the system in a judicious and thoughtful way,” Newsom explained.
However, Newsom’s “deep responsibility” to his job has allowed the release of inmates such as a 33-year-old man who—after he was newly released—stabbed and murdered a man in a Pacific Beach public restroom. This man appeared in a San Diego courtroom for this wrongful murder, which could’ve been avoided if Gov. Newsom hadn’t handled the situation surrounding the state prison system so poorly. “While we were given assurances as a community that early releases would be under strict supervision programs, the system failed to protect public safety as this individual never even checked in with his probation officer,” Gaspar and Jones noted.
San Diegans are incredibly grateful for the work of District Attorney Summer Stephan, who has stepped in to cover any vulnerability by supporting victims and residents that are unknowingly having such inmates released into their communities. Stephan took the initiative to set up a team tasked with locating and notifying local crime victims when a prisoner related to their case has been released early. It’s terrifying news for many victims to receive, on top of the growing burdens from the crippled economy that Newsom has created through reckless lockdowns. Stephan further provides connections to victim resources, including counseling and information on how to put a restraining order in place.
“Let us be clear—we do not want prisoners to be infected or suffer from this virus. We do however operate with the fundamental expectation that the state government must keep prisoners healthy through adaptive measure without releasing them,” the letter adds. “This same task has been required of our community, schools, and businesses. It is time your office take ‘extraordinary and unprecedented protective measures’ to protect public safety AND protect those who live and work within California’s 35 prisons.”
Gov. Newsom has placed the safety of thousands of criminals over the safety of the innocent and with already “relaxed” laws, opening doors for crime to rise dramatically across California. All of this has gone on while he continues to neglect the needs of families and businesses, leading to questions about his true priorities.
