SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The Democratic-led state Senate has voted to reconfirm five commissioners to the California Board of Parole Hearings, a move that drew outcry from Republicans who argued the board recently made several egregious decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current board is clearly not doing a good job protecting children and should be replaced,\u201d said Sen. Steven Choi (R-Irvine), speaking June 1 on the Senate floor. <\/p>\n
The parole board consists of 21 commissioners who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate for three-year terms. Five current commissioners \u2014 William Muniz, Michael Ruff, Rosalind Sargent-Burns, Mary Thornton and Jack Weiss \u2014 were reconfirmed June 1 in votes that fell along party lines. <\/p>\n
Senate Republicans spoke out from the floor, expressing anger over the board\u2019s recent decisions to grant parole to serial sex offenders David Allen Funston, Gregory Lee Vogelsang and Roberto Antonio Detrinidad. (The vote of individual commissioners was not made public.)<\/p>\n
Democrats defended the board, saying it was following a landmark 2008 ruling from the California Supreme Court that declared denying parole must be supported by evidence that the person poses a current risk. <\/p>\n
\u201cParole decisions must be based on current safety risks not on the seriousness of the original offense,\u201d said Sen. Eloise G\u00f3mez Reyes (D-Colton). \u201cEvidence based risk assessment exists for this exact purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
California\u2019s elderly parole program allows inmates 50 and older to qualify for a parole suitability hearing if they have been incarcerated for at least 20 continuous years. The individual can then be released if commissioners determine they do not pose a public safety risk.<\/p>\n
Republicans, however, questioned the board\u2019s judgment.<\/p>\n
Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) said a transcript of Funston\u2019s initial parole hearing showed he acknowledged still being attracted to children and said he would splash cold water on his face to deter his urges. <\/p>\n
Funston used candy and toys to lure children playing outside in the Sacramento suburbs into his vehicle in 1995 and 1996, prosecutors said<\/a>. He was convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is not a single person in this chamber who would want this man to be alone with their children or grandchildren or any of our constituents,\u201d Grove said. \u201cBut this board voted to let him out of prison.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) criticized the board for not releasing the specific voting records of individual commissioners. She said she had asked the five commissioners to reveal their records, which California allows but does not require.<\/p>\n \u201cThey all refused,\u201d Bogh said. \u201cIf you are not willing to publicly own how you voted to release a serial child molester or repeat rapist, you will not receive my vote.\u201d<\/p>\n After the votes, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) criticized Democrats in a statement for \u201crubber-stamping\u201d the reappointments and said the board had lost all credibility with the public.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the board said commissioners follow California law and prioritize public safety. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Board\u2019s standard is stringent, involves numerous steps and use of validated risk assessment tools, including evaluation by forensic psychologists,\u201d spokesperson Emily Humpal wrote in an email. \u201cOver 97% of parolees successfully transition into their communities without a new conviction within three years.\u201d<\/p>\n Some prosecutors and victims recently expressed outrage<\/a> over the board\u2019s decisions. One victim, who was kidnapped by Funston at age 4 and sexually assaulted with a knife to her throat, previously told The Times that he should remain in prison. <\/p>\n Jones and Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) this year introduced Senate Bill 1278,<\/a> which would have blocked those convicted of \u201crape, sodomy, lewd and lascivious acts, and habitual sex offenders\u201d from the elderly parole program. Some offenders already are barred, including those convicted of first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer. <\/p>\n The bill ultimately died in the Senate Public Safety Committee in April. <\/p>\n Other legislation from Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove) would raise the minimum parole age for sex offenders convicted of rape, sodomy, or the aggravated sexual assault of a child to 65. Assembly Bill 2727<\/a> is advancing through the Legislature with bipartisan support. <\/p>\n