“Releasing criminals is a problem not a solution — opening a Pandora’s Box that threatens public safety and places additional burdens on local law enforcement and taxpayers,” said Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich on the state’s planned release of over 6500 inmates.  “It is a reckless and irresponsible band-aid on a wound that could hemorrhage into a public safety crisis.”

Releasing criminals will cost more in the long run as criminals commit additional crimes and are rearrested, retried and re-sentenced.  A Harvard University report revealed that for each criminal locked up, there is a reduction of between five and six reported crimes.  According to the Bureau of Justice, stronger sentencing laws over the past 30 years – including Three Strikes — have clearly spared countless Americans from being assaulted, robbed, raped, and murdered.

“Putting criminals back into our communities is an irresponsible and reckless way to balance the state’s budget,” Antonovich said.  “Sacramento needs to adopt significant structural reforms and cut the fat from its bloated bureaucracy – not open the jail cells.”