Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Open letter to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

I am contacting you to voice my stringent opposition to and concern regarding the implementation of Proposition 57. My concern and opposition stem from the fact that too many crimes that are in reality violent by their nature are classified by Prop 57 as "non-violent" for political reasons.

Currently under California State Law, these crimes are considered "non-violent":

  • Human trafficking of minor for labor
  • Battery with serious bodily harm
  • Assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer
  • Solicitation to commit murder
  • First degree burglary
  • Arson causing physical harm
  • Exploding a bomb with intent to harm
As members of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, you are sworn professional law enforcement officers with a full understanding of criminals, criminal behavior, and the motivations of criminals. It is foolhardy to believe that people who commit the types of crimes listed above are non-violent.

These crimes are mala in se, i.e., crimes that are inherently bad by their nature. The early release of convicted criminals of these sorts of crimes would in fact jeopardize the safety of the California public you are dutifully sworn to protect.

I write this to you as someone who grew up in a police family (both parents retired LAPD detectives), as a Navy veteran, as a graduate with a BS degree in criminal justice administration from San Diego State University, as a retiree from the Federal Bureau of Prisons with 25+ years of federal law enforcement service, and as a family man with a wife and two kids.

Please ... do not allow for the early release of convicted state prisoners with criminal convictions for the crimes as previously mentioned. The safety of our communities and neighborhoods deserve better.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert Eric Reiss ("Rick")

 

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