On Monday, California Democrat Assemblymember Ash Kalra brought a bill that would allow convicted murderers who were sentenced to life in prison to petition for early release back to life. Senate Bill 94, which had been put on the "inactive file" by Kalra just over a year ago, would apply to those sentenced prior to 1990 and have served at least 25 years of their life sentence. The bill would not apply to those who were convicted of the murder of a police officer or were serial killers.
The bill was taken out of the inactive file without discussion by the Assembly and will now be taken up for consideration again and sent through the process of being debated and voted on during this legislative session. The bill, originally introduced in January 2023, immediately received fierce criticism from crime victims and victims' rights organizations.
The bill was passed through the State Senate in May of last year on a mostly partisan split, with only four Democrats voting against the bill. After it stalled in the Assembly after being passed out of committee, Assemblymember Kalra quietly placed the bill in the inactive file. After being revived, the bill immediately received criticism from various groups.
The leader of Crime Victims United quickly crafted a letter Monday afternoon, urging lawmakers to vote no on the bill.
"We believe that this bill is not only unjust but also undermines the rule of law and the justice system in our country," wrote Harriet Salarno, the chair of CVU. "It would allow individuals who committed heinous crimes to potentially escape justice and receive reduced sentences, despite the severity of their offenses."
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The bill was taken out of the inactive file without discussion by the Assembly and will now be taken up for consideration again and sent through the process of being debated and voted on during this legislative session. The bill, originally introduced in January 2023, immediately received fierce criticism from crime victims and victims' rights organizations.
The bill was passed through the State Senate in May of last year on a mostly partisan split, with only four Democrats voting against the bill. After it stalled in the Assembly after being passed out of committee, Assemblymember Kalra quietly placed the bill in the inactive file. After being revived, the bill immediately received criticism from various groups.
The leader of Crime Victims United quickly crafted a letter Monday afternoon, urging lawmakers to vote no on the bill.
"We believe that this bill is not only unjust but also undermines the rule of law and the justice system in our country," wrote Harriet Salarno, the chair of CVU. "It would allow individuals who committed heinous crimes to potentially escape justice and receive reduced sentences, despite the severity of their offenses."
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