Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/121251
4A Daily News ��� Thursday, April 11, 2013 Opinion DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer���s home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. What the Brown is not telling you about AB 109 Not early release? Assertions that prison realignment is ���not an early release program��� are deceptive. Realignment changed penalties and the level of parole supervision for most felons convicted after Nov. 1, 2011. It shifted the responsibility for tens of thousands of felons to counties where jail space is already filled to capacity, and changed the definition of who qualifies for community service programs. Realignment authorizes the early release of felons. Convicted felons now sentenced to county supervision instead of state prisons include: ��� Career drug dealers ��� Commercial burglars ��� Habitual auto and I.D. thieves ��� Criminals with long criminal histories including felonies involving assault and firearms A county sentence is not the same as a State Prison sentence Under Penal Code, Section 17.5, a felon sentenced to jail rather than prison may be released early subject to day reporting, electronic monitoring or any number of non-custodial treatment programs. Realignment also allows judges to split the sentence of felons so that part of their term may be spent in county jail and part subject to county probation (Section 1170 (h)(5)). When county jails are full, where will the felons go? Under realignment, parole periods have been slashed from three years to one year. Most parolees will be supervised by county probation instead of the state parole authority. Now, each of the 58 counties must create their own parole system. This policy makes as much sense as requiring 58 counties to establish their own Department of Motor Vehicles. Starting July 1, most parole revocation proceedings will be conducted before a judge in county superior court where the maximum penalty will be 90 days in jail instead of 365 days in prison (prerealignment). Due to overcrowding of county jails, some counties have not incarcerated parole violators at all. Some criminals who have averted parole revocation have committed horrific crimes e.g. Jerome DeAvila of Stockton charged with robbing, raping and murdering his grandmother. The California Board of Parole Hearings is better equipped than the already overwhelmed superior courts to conduct revocation proceedings. State parole officers have more training in tracking and dealing with habitual and dangerous offenders, especially those who cross county lines. This ability cannot be replicated by each of the 58 counties. The U.S. Supreme Court did not order realignment When realigned felons commit new crimes and citizens are victimized, the Administration blames realignment on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. This is a pretext. The U.S. Supreme Court Sen. directed the state to fix health care services and reduce prison overcrowding. ��� The U.S. Supreme Court did not order the state to reduce sentences. ��� The U.S. Supreme Court did not order the state to shift responsibility for habitual felons to counties. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed a state plan which included already funded plans to add 16,000 new cells at existing prisons. These plans and projects to convert unused juvenile facilities for adult use have been largely abandoned by the Brown Administration. The Governor signed legislation to reverse bond authorization for new prison facilities ��� preferring to dump the problem on counties. Passing the buck to counties; it���s your problem now Californians are not bene- fitting under realignment. Not only is crime up but so are taxes under the Governor���s realignment plan. Lawsuits which are costing the state billions of dollars now will begin to be filed against counties. Counties do not have the resources or the facilities to handle the multitude of services ordered Jim by the courts to accommodate longterm inmates. The counties of Fresno and Riverside, for example, are currently facing lawsuits from inmates for not providing adequate services. Other counties will soon face similar costly lawsuits. Governor Brown justifies realignment based upon his belief that crime is a local problem. As the Governor explained to the Sacramento Bee: ���I can tell you this: some counties do better than other counties, and the challenge here is that locking people up at state expense is a free good when people have a problem with criminal activity, and now we���re saying, ���No, you have to handle criminal activity where you are.������ Nielsen Sen. Jim Nielsen, RGerber, represents California���s 4th District. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN ��� Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530895-4217 STATE SENATOR ��� Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca .gov GOVERNOR ��� Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; Email: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ��� Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-225-3076. U.S. SENATORS ��� Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 2868537. Fax (202) 2240454. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Commentary Instantaneous knowledge I was on a lengthy car ride last week when the driver brought up the concept of ���instantaneous knowledge.��� This is the idea that virtually all knowledge known to mankind is now accessible at any moment to any single man. However the flaw with our current educational advantages is that while someone can accesses that information, they often can���t retain it. That is, I think the term he used was ���instantaneous knowledge.��� I forget the exact phrase he used. But I was able to answer quite a few trivia questions using my cell phone during the 4-hour ride. Last month the Tehama County Board of Supervisors heard a plan that would expand the jail into the location of the library. The library would be moved either to a different existing building or to a newly built facility. Once residents got over the absurdity that it appeared crooks were getting a higher priority than books, many latched on to the excitement of the idea. Acting Librarian Sally Ainsworth reported this week that multiple fundraising ideas are being planned. I noticed a Facebook page to support a new library popped up the day after the article mentioning the plan ran. Libraries across the world are shining examples of the cultures they support. Through the ages libraries have been built in every feasible architectural style. For decades Tehama County���s library has been shelved away in a former grocery store. Children are impressionable and that symbolism trumps a lot of the lip service we give regarding education���s importance. Information techPerhaps the excitenology has pushed ment being heard library sciences, but from some is an it���s not the only tool opportunity to right up a librarian���s that wrong. sleeve. We can build a Libraries can library for the 21st inspire, fostering century, one the counimagination and ty deserves. ideas. They shouldn���t But just what does just replicate the serthe library of the vices every teenager future look like? already carries One reader comaround in their pockmented online that Rich et. with the ever growing They should be the appeal of eBooks that catalyst for the crea smaller building ation of that next may suffice. She may be right. Libraries pocket device. It���s something we should of the future will look drastically different than the ones have more time to ponder about, what with all those trivfrom our past. But just as the community ia questions solved so quickly. once favored convenience to Rich Greene can be house its knowledge, I hope Tehama County doesn���t go too reached at 527-2151, Ext. 109 by email at far to favoring the route of or instantaneous knowledge this rgreene@redbluffdailynews.c om. time around. Greene