A California sheriff sued Governor Gavin Newsom for leaving the state’s prison system in “complete disarray” and releasing convicted criminals early.
“He has an agenda to close prisons and nothing will stop him from doing that,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Fox News. “He released thousands and thousands of criminals, hardened criminals, early.”
A California deputy holds up police tape to allow a vehicle to enter a crime scene. (Photo by Andri Tambunan/AFP via Getty Images)
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California prisons were roughly holding up 122,000 prisoners in 2019 when Newsom took office. That year, the Democrat told The Fresno Bee he would like to close a state prison during his term.
So far he has closed one prison and three more are scheduled to close within two years. according to Cal Matters. The state’s prison population has plummeted by more than 20% to 95,610 inmates due to sentencing reforms and a deluge of releases during the pandemic.
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Bianco said his office was recently notified that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation plans to release several convicted murderers in Province of Rivierenland.
“Three killers who are in prison for murder, who should be there for life, and (Newsom) is going to release them back into our community,” Bianco said.
Neither the governor’s office nor the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation immediately responded to a request for comment.
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Bianco said closing prisons is “the wrong thing to do” for the law-abiding public.
“You just have to look out the window and see that we are being victimized all the time,” he said.
A recent study comparing defendants released on bail in California with those released under the “Zero Bail” policy found that the latter group was more likely to reoffend and be charged with more violent crimes.
“The number of repeat offenders at the moment is just ridiculous,” Bianco said. “They victimize other people. They kill other people. They steal from other people.”
Last month, a released convict allegedly shot and killed a 24-year-old officer in California.
Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom said early in his term that he would like to see a state prison closed during his term. Four are scheduled to close in March 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Bianco said lawmakers and Newsom are refusing to acknowledge the issue, putting police and the community at risk.
“They love an agenda and nothing will change that agenda,” he said. “And so the prisons and the prison systems suffer.”
Click here to learn more about how California’s criminal justice policy affects law enforcement.
Hannah Ray Lambert is an associate producer/writer at Fox News Digital Originals.
