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A man whose prison sentence was commuted by former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in 2021 has been linked to the deaths of four women who were found within three months this year and within 100 miles of each other in the greater Portland area. Jesse Lee Calhoun, 38, was among 41 prisoners whose sentences Brown commuted for fighting wildfires in 2020. Calhoun went to prison in 2019 on stolen vehicle and burglary convictions.

The man suspected of stabbing two Asian American women on a San Francisco sidewalk was reportedly released early from a 25-year prison sentence due to a left-wing criminal justice diversion program. Years before allegedly stabbing two elderly woman at a Tenderloin bus stop, Patrick Thompson, now 54, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon in 2017 and sent to a mental institution, according to the San Francisco Chronicle – but he was granted entry into a mental health diversion program in 2019, "successfully" completing it in August 2020. A spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation deferred...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — With little notice, California on Saturday is increasing early release credits for 76,000 inmates, including violent and repeat felons, as it further trims the population of what once was the nation’s largest state correctional system. More than 63,000 inmates convicted of violent crimes will be eligible for good behavior credits that shorten their sentences by one-third instead of the one-fifth that had been in place since 2017. That includes nearly 20,000 inmates who are serving life sentences with the possibility of parole. More than 10,000 inmates convicted of a second serious but nonviolent offense under the...

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A state appeals court ordered San Quentin State Prison on Tuesday to immediately cut its inmate population by half, which would require transferring or releasing about 1,700 inmates, citing the state’s inability to manage a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the prison. The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco ruled that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and San Quentin Prison Acting Warden Ron Broomfield “have acted with deliberate indifference and relief is warranted,” the court opinion stated. The ruling stemmed from a case involving 64-year-old Ivan Von Staich, who along with...

California plans to close 2 prisons and early release 20,000 prisoners around the election, prolly right after the elections. An old friend, known him for 40 years+ works as a doctor for the California Department of Corrections and they were told last week there will be closings very soon and some of the physicians will be losing their jobs. I trust this source ENTIRELY. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/17/gavin-newsom-california-governor-eyes-prison-closu/

BALTIMORE, Md. — A former Episcopal bishop who killed a cyclist in 2014 will be released from jail in May. According to officials, Heather Cook will be released from jail and placed on probation until October 2022, meeting regularly with an agent and being supervised. That means Cook will have served 3 1/2 years of her seven-year sentence after she was convicted of killing bicyclist Thomas Palermo on Dec. 27, 2014. At the time, Cook was the second ranking official in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Cook pleaded guilty in September 2015 to auto manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, driving while...

...The price for each inmate has doubled since 2005, even as court orders related to overcrowding have reduced the population by about one-quarter. Salaries and benefits for prison guards and medical providers drove much of the increase.

A convicted crack dealer who left prison early as part of the Obama administration’s mass release of federal inmates has been indicted by a grand jury for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend and her two kids in Columbus, Ohio. The gory crime drew national attention because the children, ages 7 and 10, were murdered to eliminate them as witnesses in the brutal massacre of their 32-year-old mother. This week a grand jury in Franklin County returned a 10-count, death-penalty indictment against the ex-con, 35-year-old Wendell Callahan, for the triple murders. Callahan broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and stabbed the three victims,...

A convicted crack dealer who left prison early as part of the Obama administration’s mass release of federal inmates has been indicted by a grand jury for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend and her two kids in Columbus, Ohio. The gory crime drew national attention because the children, ages 7 and 10, were murdered to eliminate them as witnesses in the brutal massacre of their 32-year-old mother. This week a grand jury in Franklin County returned a 10-count, death-penalty indictment against the ex-con, 35-year-old Wendell Callahan, for the triple murders. Callahan broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and stabbed the three victims,...

A group representing federal prosecutors said Tuesday that President Obama violated his own rules last week when he granted clemency to 91 convicted drug dealers who were released from prison early. Reflecting deep divisions in the Justice Department, the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys called on the White House and leaders at Justice to release all information involved in the decisions to release the drug dealers, saying the public has a right to know whether a program to free criminals "is prudent, much less necessary." "Americans need more information than they are getting in order to decide whether now...

MISSION HILLS {california} (CBS) — A career criminal who allegedly robbed six businesses in the San Fernando Valley was part of California’s early release prison program, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Francisco Gonzalez Jr., 39, was arrested Tuesday for evading police, car theft and robbery in Panorama City. “This was not (his) first pursuit, first robbery, nor first brush with the law,” said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Mission Detective Division. “And since this arrest, we have tied (him) to five other recent store robberies across the San Fernando Valley,” he said. Vernon said the frustrating part was...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The third suspect in the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy faced a judge Tuesday morning. Related U.S. Marshals and Louisville metro police tracked down and arrested Cannon Pendergrass on Monday. Pendergrass, 22, was formally charged Tuesday with in the slaying of 15-year-old Gregory Holt. Pendergrass was the third man arrested in the Holt slaying case and is now facing the same charges as the other two suspects, James Mallory, 29, and Anthony Hogan Jr., 18. Holt was found shot to death inside his home on Clover Street two weeks ago. All three suspects have been in...

February 3, 2010 Inmate released early is arrested in rape attempt By Robert Lewis and Sam Stanton rlewis@sacbee.com Thumbnail image for Kevin Peterson.jpgOne of the inmates the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department released early as part of an effort to reduce the state's prison population was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempted rape, less than 24 hours after getting out of jail, The Bee has learned. Kevin Eugene Peterson got out of jail Monday night after serving about two months on a four-month sentence for violating probation on a prior felony conviction. Peterson was arrested 12 hours later, around 12:30 p.m....

Prisoners in an Indian state who attend yoga classes will be freed early because the lessons improve self-control and lessen aggression, authorities said. For every three months spent doing sun salutations, deep breathing exercises and balance postures, a prisoner will get 15 days off their sentence, Madhya Pradesh state's inspector general of prisons told AFP. "Yoga is good for maintaining fitness, calming the behaviour, controlling anger and reducing stress," Sanjay Mane said. "When a prisoner attends yoga sessions and fulfils some other conditions, he will be considered for a remission if his jail superintendent recommends his case." Attending literacy classes...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Critics heaped scorn on Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday over a secret prison program that allowed hundreds of inmates — some violent offenders — to be released early, including some who only spent 11 days behind bars. An Associated Press report released Sunday showed that more than 850 inmates — including repeat drunk drivers, drug users and even people convicted of battery and weapons violations — were released early under the program since September. This happened because the Corrections Department abandoned a policy that all prisoners serve at least 61 days and gave inmates months of...

NEW YORK — Their budgets in crisis, governors, legislators and prison officials across the nation are making or considering policy changes that will likely remove tens of thousands of offenders from prisons and parole supervision. Collectively, the pending and proposed initiatives could add up to one of biggest shifts ever in corrections policy, putting into place cost-saving reforms that have struggled to win political support in the tough-on-crime climate of recent decades.

Fresno County sheriff's officials began releasing inmates from the downtown jail Tuesday as they prepare to close two floors and reduce the overall population by 800 inmates later this month.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A man who told police he shot two teenage boys at random "to get something off my chest" was recommended for release from prison following a parole hearing Tuesday. Jeron Grant, 26, and an accompolice were charged in the Valentine's Day 1997 shotgun shooting deaths of Andrew Westbay, 13, and Scott Hawrysiak, 15, who were gunned down at close range as they walked home after playing video games at a neighbor's house. Parole board member Curtis Devin, who held the hearing, recommended Grant be released in either August or September, only a few weeks earlier than...

Monday, May 23, 2005 Minister had hope for ex-con in Maine Associated Press ©Copyright 2004 Associated Press. E-mail this story to a friend MONTPELIER, Vt. — The pastor who drove Kent Hanson to Maine after he was released from prison had high hopes for the ex-convict. The Rev. Pete Fiske of The Church at Prison holds services at the St. Albans prison and helps offenders after they leave prison. On the morning of May 12, the 63-year-old Hanson had just served the last minutes of a 20-year sentence for the 1985 murder of Helena Warner. Fiske was taking the man...

In an article appearing in the Los Angeles Times yesterday - Thursday, November 25th, 2004 - the subject of 'Early Release' was addressed with facts that will infuriate all but the comatose. The article addressed the Los Angeles County Jail system. It addressed Sheriff Lee Baca's attitude regarding the early release program. It touches on budget shortfalls and reactions to them. The article mentions that police chiefs, prosecuting attornies, judges, police officers and victims are either serously concerned or downright angry about this program. Victims who were supposed to be notified regarding some of these early releases, weren't. Victims of...