I-Team: Elderly parole pushback
California is looking for more ways to thin out the prison population.
One way is elderly parole consideration. If an inmate is 50 years old and has served 20 consecutive years of their sentence, they could be eligible.
This state law affects victims who were previously told their offenders would never be released.
“Never did we think that we would have to open it all back up just to keep him in prison,” said Claira Stansbury, who is speaking out against the program.
I-Team investigator Karen Devine uncovers the process that allows the possibility of parole, and how the District Attorney’s office is balancing to keep convicted criminals behind bars while working with victims who are forced to relive their painful past.