Early Release Alerts

Stay informed on early release of inmates from state prison and county jail.

Due to recent changes in California law, as well as circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, some inmates are being released from custody earlier than the date originally determined at the time of sentencing.

The District Attorney’s Office strives to contact all victims to notify them of changes in sentencing, release dates, and parole hearing dates. Victims are also encouraged to register for notifications from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and/or Santa Rita Jail. 

Victims, their next of kin, and witnesses who testified against the offender all have the right to be informed of any change in a release date.

Parole Releases

Changes in the law and at the CDCR may result in an offender being released or qualifying for a parole hearing earlier than anticipated. These include:

In 2018, the legislature expanded the definition of a “youthful offender” to include anyone who was under the age of 26 when they committed their crime. This created new parole opportunities for many offenders. Anyone who is sentenced to more than 15 years but has less than a life sentence will automatically get a parole hearing in their 15th year of incarceration. Anyone sentenced to less than 25 years to life receives a hearing in their 20th year, and any youthful offender sentenced to more than 25 years to life will have a parole hearing in their 25th year of incarceration.

Inmates 60 or older and who have been in custody for 25 years or more qualify to have a parole hearing.

If an inmate has certain medical conditions they can be released to a skilled nursing facility.

 recommended by CDCR due to inmate’s health condition and heard by a judge to determine if the inmate should be resentenced and released.

Proposition 57 was passed by the voters in 2016. It established a pathway to early parole for offenders who are serving sentences for crimes deemed “nonviolent” by the Penal Code. Prop 57 also created ways for offenders to earn additional credits towards their sentences, which leads to earlier release dates

Register at: www.vinelink.com

Select the state and follow the prompts.

Register at: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/

Once on the site, please sign up for 1707 notifications: select Victims Services option drop down menu and choose Request Services (this will take you directly to the 1707 instructions).

To view if an inmate is in CDC custody: select Offender Info option drop down menu and choose Inmate Locator.

Covid-19 Related Releases

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, incarcerated individuals may be released from custody (county jail or prison) earlier than anticipated.

Resentencing

Starting January 1, 2019, California Senate Bill 1437 brought big changes to how the law deals with felony murder and murder under certain circumstances. Before this bill, someone could be accused of murder even if they didn’t do the killing, didn’t mean to kill anyone, or weren’t the main person involved in the crime.

In January 2019, the California legislature changed the long-existing murder laws, narrowing the definition of murder. These laws are retroactive, so people who were convicted of murder in the past can petition to have the court review whether they could still be convicted of murder today. If they could not, they are entitled to have their murder conviction vacated and replaced with a conviction for a lesser crime. The changes to the law affect only a small portion of murder convictions.

Sometimes CDCR asks the District Attorney’s Office to reconsider and reduce an inmate’s sentence. Such request may arise based on the inmate’s behavior in the prison system or because the inmate has serious medical conditions. When the DA’s Office receives such requests, it considers CDCR’s position as well as concerns for fundamental fairness and the impact on victims before making any decisions.

For information regarding resentencing please contact

Senior Assistant District Attorney: Demarris R. Evans @ DAresentencing@acgov.org 

  • To check for an upcoming hearing, you may search using CDCR’s Inmate Locator. CDCR Public Inmate Locator Disclaimer
  • If you would like to attend an upcoming parole hearing and/or give a victim impact statement to the Board of Parole Hearings’ panel members, you must contact the Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services (OVSRS) via email at victimservices@cdcr.ca.gov or call 1-877-256-6877.   You may also submit a request through the Victim Services Parole Hearing Reservation Portal:

Should you still have further questions or need help registering for an upcoming hearing, contact District Attorney Victim Witness Advocate:

Shawn Mitchell  shawn-mitchell@acgov.org

Parole Hearings

Parole hearings fall under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).