A multiple homicide outside a Los Angeles County boardinghouse has prompted county supervisors to call for legislation that would prevent state prisoners with a serious criminal history from being released to county supervision, reports the Los Angeles Times. Realignment — intended to help the state meet a federal mandate to reduce its prison population — requires that some felons convicted of nonviolent offenses serve their time in county jails rather than state prison. It has also resulted in some inmates being released to county supervision instead of state parole.
Only the offender’s most recent crime is considered when determining who is eligible for realignment. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zav Yaroslavsky said yesterday that he wants the county to pursue legislation that would require the offender’s complete criminal past to be considered. “It is a loophole big enough to drive a Sherman tank through,” Yaroslavsky said of the current law. Ka Pasasouk, a suspect in the killing of four people last week, was released to county probation after serving a prison sentence for unlawful taking of a vehicle. His previous criminal history included a 2006 conviction for second-degree robbery and assault likely to produce great bodily injury.