330 Prison Inmates To Be Released Early Into Riverside County

Toni McAllister
Updated ·3 min read

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — More than 300 prison inmates who are being released early in California due to coronavirus concerns will come to Riverside County, but most were nearly done serving their sentences and all have a "low risk for violence," the Riverside County Probation Department announced Friday.

"The Riverside County Probation Department is prepared to supervise the 330 California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) inmates scheduled for early release to the county as part of California’s plan to slow the spread of COVID-19 in state prisons," the department said in a news release.

“Our department is ready to manage the influx of new clients,” said Riverside County Chief Probation Officer Ronald L. Miller. “Most of these individuals were already scheduled to return to the county over the next few months. We are simply receiving them in a short period instead of staggered over time.”

Approximately 300 of the inmates granted early release have 180 days or less left on their sentences, are not currently serving time for domestic violence or a violent crime, have no current or prior sentences that require them to register as a sex offender and have an assessment score that indicates a low risk for violence, according to the probation department.

The remaining inmates have a year or less to serve on their sentences, meet the same crime and risk criteria and are inside prisons with large populations of people considered high-risk for becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, the probation department said.

All of the inmates must test negative for COVID-19 prior to their release, according to the probation department.

Once released, the parolees will report to their local probation office where probation officers will "initiate supervision, begin building a case plan and arrange housing if needed," according to the probation department.

The department will also work with partner agencies and community-based organizations to provide health, employment and other services to facilitate "a smooth re-entry and reinforce public safety," the department said.

Probation department data show where 292 of the inmates will be released in the county (see below). The release locations for the other 38 people have yet to be determined, according to Kevin Slusarski, public information specialist for the county.

City/unincorporated area — Number of inmates released

  • Anza — 3

  • Banning — 2

  • Beaumont — 3

  • Blythe — 1

  • Canyon Lake — 1

  • Cathedral City — 4

  • Coachella — 3

  • Corona — 22

  • Desert Hot Springs — 9

  • Eastvale — 1

  • Hemet — 36

  • Homeland — 1

  • Idyllwild — 1

  • Indio — 13

  • Jurupa Valley — 2

  • La Quinta — 2

  • Lake Elsinore — 7

  • Mecca — 1

  • Menifee — 2

  • Mira Loma — 4

  • Moreno Valley — 32

  • Murrieta — 7

  • Norco — 1

  • Nuevo — 1

  • Palm Desert — 5

  • Palm Springs — 7

  • Perris — 20

  • Quail Valley — 2

  • Rancho Mirage — 1

  • Riverside — 76

  • San Jacinto — 11

  • Sun City — 5

  • Temecula — 3

  • Wildomar — 3

As of Friday, there were 1,443 inmates actively infected with COVID-19 and 47 inmate deaths reported by CDCR. Overall, the agency reported Friday 8,100 COVID-19 cases among inmates, and 1,791 employee cases as of Thursday.

On July 10, CDCR announced that approximately 8,000 inmates statewide would be released early if they met specific criteria. Riverside County officials anticipated up to 500 inmates would be released locally.

Hemet Police Department Chief Eddie Pust said that inmates paroled early will cause crime to rise in his city and elsewhere.

"The impacts to the communities and the public will change significantly, and California communities will see a significant increase in crime," he said.

This article originally appeared on the Temecula Patch