FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A controversial state program allowing elderly inmates to be considered for early parole is raising concerns in Fresno, especially after multiple sex offenders, originally serving life sentences, were granted release.<\/p>\n
California\u2019s Elderly Parole Program allows certain inmates to be considered for parole at age 50 after serving 20 years, except for those sentenced to death or life without parole. <\/p>\n
Critics argue the program has loopholes, particularly for sex offenders.<\/p>\n
David Allen Funston, a serial child predator convicted of kidnapping and molestation and originally sentenced to three life terms, qualified for parole through this program. <\/p>\n
During his hearing, when asked if he was still attracted to young girls, Funston replied, \u201cYes, I am.\u201d <\/p>\n
Despite that admission, he was granted parole and chose Fresno as his residence.<\/p>\n
Gregory Vogelsang, sentenced to 355 years for sexually assaulting children, was also granted parole and selected Fresno as his location. <\/p>\n
Both cited transitional housing and rehabilitation programs in Fresno as reasons for choosing the city, Funston mentioned \u201cCenters for Living,\u201d and Vogelsang referenced Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA).<\/p>\n
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp expressed frustration over the program:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve told our victims they will never get out. They have a life sentence. They will die in prison before they’re eligible for parole. But under these new laws, people are getting out all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assemblymember David Tangipa echoed these concerns.<\/p>\n
If they want them to be released from prison, they can have them in their own districts, do not bring them to the Central Valley. I do not believe somebody can be rehabilitated if they are targeting children.<\/p>\n
In December, Fresno County passed an ordinance limiting the number of sex offenders who can live under one roof to six. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, state leaders are considering legislation that would restrict eligibility for the elderly parole program, aiming to prevent high-risk offenders from being released.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the program, like Keith Watley, argue the risk is minimal.<\/p>\n
There have been zero cases of sexual re-offense for those released on elderly parole.<\/p>\n
But for many local leaders, including Smittcamp and Tangipa, the concern isn\u2019t age, it\u2019s the severity of the crime.<\/p>\n
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed that the COSA program previously received state grant funding, which expired last year. <\/p>\n
Efforts to speak with the director of the sex offender rehabilitation program today were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
As Fresno becomes a hub for elderly parolees, community concerns and legislative efforts continue to grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A controversial state program allowing elderly inmates to be considered for early parole is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-258753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-fresno","9":"tag-fresno-headlines","10":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}