Bermúdez Holds Hearing on Corrections Directive

ASSEMBLY MEMBER BERMÚDEZ HOLDS HEARING ON DIRECTIVE ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS URGING PAROLE AGENTS TO “PULL BACK” ON PLANNED SWEEPS OF PAROLEES AT LARGE “UNTIL AT LEAST AUGUST”

Corrections’ officials claim memorandum was “misinterpreted” by one individual; Assembly Member Bermúdez produces proof it was interpreted by a myriad of officials statewide to mean all parole sweeps should stop immediately.

Assembly Member Rudy Bermúdez held a hearing of the Select Committee on Prison Construction and Operations today, focusing on the recently uncovered California Department of Corrections’ directive urging parole agents to “pull back” any planned sweeps of parolees at large until “at least August” due to overcrowding in the state prison system Receiving Centers. The directive was issued 11 days before a parolee at large fatally shot Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jerry Ortiz.

Bermúdez said, “We heard testimony today by officials with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that the memorandum was simply misinterpreted by one individual. Well, today this committee produced proof that this was not the case. In fact, this memorandum was interpreted to mean that all parole sweeps should stop by a myriad of individuals within the Department.”

After confronted with the evidence, Joyce Hayhoe, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Corrections, admitted that the “misinterpretation” was not an isolated incident and was widespread. Marilyn Kalvelage—Assistant Director of the CDC Parole Division and the author of the original memo—pledged to send out a follow-up memorandum statewide to clarify that the Department was not calling for parole sweeps to stop.

Bermúdez said, “I am not satisfied with the explanation I received today. I am requesting written documentation from the Department of Corrections that no parole sweeps were cancelled and delayed as a result of this directive. Californians need to know that the Department of Corrections and the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency are protecting them from parole violators, who are typically violent offenders who are on the run.”

Getting parole violators off the street is an important and dangerous job. It’s what I did as a parole agent. It’s what keeps habitual criminals from hurting more people and it’s how we keep our streets safe. To have the Department of Corrections urging parole officers to ‘pull back’ on rounding up these dangerous criminals is stupid, irresponsible, and outright dangerous. If parole agents know where parolees at large are, they need to be encouraged – not discouraged – to go get them”, said Bermúdez.

Bermúdez continued, “We also heard testimony today that our prisons are severely overcrowded, to the point where inmates are sleeping in hallways. This flies in the face of testimony given this year in Budget Sub-Committee #4 by California Department of Corrections’ officials that there is not overcrowding problem. CDC cannot have it both ways.”

Assemblyman Rudy Bermúdez (www.assembly.ca.gov/bermudez) was first elected to the Assembly in November 2002. His district includes portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as the cities and communities of Artesia, Buena Park, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Los Nietos, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, South Whittier, Whittier and West Whittier.