California Officials Lie to Parolees to Get Them Arrested

Times are rough right now for California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). And I just learned about officials finding an egregious way to make things worse.

The story starts like this: Currently, CDCR has lost contact with around 14,000 parolees statewide. The agency is facing increasing pressure over its ability to monitor parolees, thanks to the discovery that the reason why 673 so-called "parole violators" had failed to report to their parole officers was because — well, the ex-offenders are dead. To these embarrassing revelations, add the fact that California is in a seemingly interminable budget crisis that threatens CDCR funding, and you have a potent cocktail to make CDCR desperate.

From the soil of desperation springs terrible ideas, as CDCR leaders demonstrated last month.

In a pathetic and destructive effort to rebuild its reputation with the community, the CDCR concocted an idea to reconnect with some of those parolees they'd lost touch with. They sent letters to alleged parole violators and their families promising amnesty and a $200 check if the parolees would report to their local parole office. In my former hometown of Oakland, around 150 took the bait — some with family members in tow — and were arrested.

What about amnesty? It was a lie. And the $200 check? The CDCR never intended to write it.

"I think they were pretty stunned, to be honest with you," gloated Tony Chaus, an official with the CDCR. No kidding, Tony. They received an official letter from a state body promising them freedom and cash, and when they trusted the government officials behind the ploy they ended up imprisoned with empty pockets. If you're proud of how "stunned" they were, Tony, you should write your mother and brag to her that I'm bloody appalled and — as a former California resident — embarrassed at how you're using my community's tax dollars. And while you're at it, Tony, maybe you could also boast to your mom about fooling Linda, the mother of one of those duped by your ploy.

"We thought this was supposed to be a program to help, not to scare and arrest. My son thought the Amnesty program would help him as he continued to get his life back on track. Now, he is locked in jail and will likely lose his job." Linda told this folks at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, who started this Change.org petition denouncing the CDCR's tactics.  "The system is broken and the way it is now doesn’t help these guys. If CA took all the money they spent on the set up, and used it to help some of the people on parole, perhaps some of these people would be better off."

Chaus, apparently not the sharpest tool in the shed, said that the CDCR targeted only the most dangerous parolees with whom the agency had lost contact. He also admitted, however, that some of those arrested may be relieved by a law enacted to protect non-violent offenders from being returned to prison for parole violations.

No matter your views on law enforcement, everyone should be able to recognize that deceptive tactics like those used by the CDCR foment distrust and, at the end of the day, make us all less safe. Please join me in denouncing this heinous CDCR ploy today.

Photo Credit: gregveen