California continues to care more about criminals than its own taxpaying residents.  In a recent article, Yolo County District Attorney, Jeff Reisig, discusses California’s dangerous elder parole law and failed approach to public safety.

An illegal immigrant from Mexico, Israel Ceja, who is serving a 139-year prison sentence for repeatedly raping and impregnating his underage stepdaughter starting when she was 11 years old, is eligible for early parole under a loophole in California’s Elderly Release Program. The program, expanded by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 to allow inmates as young as 50 who have served 20 years to seek release, was intended to ease prison overcrowding. Ceja’s initial parole grant in January was blocked after Yolo County District Attorney Jeffrey Reisig raised alarms, leading to a new en banc parole board review. A second hearing has now been scheduled.

DA Reisig has strongly criticized the program, calling it “twisted” for allowing child rapists and other violent sex offenders to become eligible for early release. He noted that Ceja admitted during his parole hearing to still having active sexual fantasies about his victim while in prison. The victim, Roxanne Cruz, publicly condemned the process, stating that Ceja essentially admitted he would prey on children again. Reisig and other lawmakers from both parties have pushed legislation to exclude sex offenders from the program, but efforts have been repeatedly blocked or watered down in the legislature. A similar case involving another child molester, David Allen Funston, was also granted parole under the same program.

Newsom’s office maintains that the governor can only reverse parole decisions in murder cases and has referred the matter back to the parole board. In a recent press conference, Newsom acknowledged concerns about the program’s handling of violent sexual predators and called for “deeper scrutiny.” Reisig has urged Newsom to issue an executive moratorium on elderly parole for child rapists, similar to the one the governor placed on the death penalty. Less than 12% of parole hearings result in releases, but critics argue the current system still endangers the public by prioritizing reform over accountability for the worst offenders. An excerpt from the story is below as well as a link to the full article.

Newsom-backed law lets illegal immigrant child rapist seek early release again as DA urges 'stop the madness'

Yolo County DA Jeffrey Reisig calls the loophole in California's Elderly Release Program 'twisted stuff'

By Elaine Mallon

An illegal immigrant from Mexico serving a 139-year prison sentence for raping and impregnating his underage stepdaughter will be eligible to seek early parole for a second time in the coming months due to a loophole in a law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Israel Ceja's early release was blocked Wednesday after a review by an en banc parole board convened by Newsom following pressure from Yolo County District Attorney Jeffrey Reisig. An official with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed to Fox News Digital that a new hearing has been ordered for Ceja. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>