Media

Why We Seek Justice

Our team at the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is comprised of a dedicated and diverse group of professionals.  In our new video series “Why We Seek Justice” you will meet some of our amazing colleagues and hear their personal stories.  We hope you enjoy!

Meet Deputy District Attorney Diane Ortiz

Meet Deputy District Attorney Kyle Hasapes

Meet Deputy District Attorney Amanda Zambor

Meet Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center Admin Clerk Shobna Sharma

Meet Deputy District Attorney Jay Linden

Meet Victim Advocate Heather Blair

Non-Violent Second Strikers

After a federal court ordered California to reduce prison overcrowding, a number of measures were put into place that result in early prison releases, including early parole consideration for individuals characterized as “non-violent second-strikers.”  In order to qualify, inmates must not currently be serving a sentence for a crime which is legally categorized as a ‘violent felony’ and must not be required to register as sex offenders.

Starting January 1, 2015, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) began a new early parole determination process, evaluating “nonviolent second-strikers” for parole once they have served only 50 percent of their sentence or are within 12 months of having served 50 percent of their actual sentence.  Upon receipt of inmate names from CDCR with a recommendation for release, the Board of Prison Hearings conducts an administrative review to determine if the inmate should be released from prison or retained for the term otherwise prescribed by law.  The Board determines whether an offender would pose an unreasonable risk to public safety based on criminal history, behavior in prison, rehabilitation efforts, and written statements.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office takes an active role in evaluating these cases and writes letters to the Board with an overview of the inmate’s criminal history, an opinion regarding the public safety risk posed by the inmate, and the appropriateness, or lack thereof, of an inmate’s early release.  However, because our resources are limited, we do not prepare letters in every case. Instead, we focus our opposition efforts on offenders who we believe pose the greatest risk to the community.

Many of the offenders who are granted early release from prison have violent and lengthy criminal histories.  The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office feels it is important for the public to be aware of the so-called nonviolent offenders being released early from prison into our neighborhoods.

This web page was created to provide the names and criminal overview of the offenders who have been approved for early release despite our opposition.  This list will be updated on a regular basis.