BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — State officials have responded to BPD's release news of more that 100 inmates to be dropped off at the Greyhound bus station in Downtown Bakersfield Thursday.
Bakersfield police say the released inmates will be dropped off on Thursday between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. by the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Local Assemblyman Vince Fong responded to the news saying:
"The early release of prisoners is a clear example of poor liberal public policy that hurts the quality life in Kern County. It is long overdue for all Californians to call on the state legislature to undo these terrible laws."
Local City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales also responded to the announcement saying in part:
"Releasing 100 to 120 inmates into the heart of our city is not a real plan. The CDCR should do better and find more appropriate strategies to connect people with re-entry programs and services to help people transition back into society, not simply dropping them off at Greyhound."
BPD says due to the passing of California Prop 57, a higher than normal number of prisoners are set to be released.
According to officials, inmates are regularly released in this manner into Bakersfield and the releases do not generally cause any disruption or incident.
The CDCR says a majority of the subjects being released are not being paroled to Bakersfield or Kern County. They also add that of those inmates being released -- 26 will remain in Kern county.
The CDCR is reportedly coordinating closely with local officials to minimize impact to the the community and ensure a secure and orderly release.
The department says it will stagger the number of inmates being released in an effort to minimize the impact on downtown businesses.
Simon Ontiveros, owner of Bakersfield Vintage told 23ABC that he's not too concerned but still wishes they would have gave him "some sort of heads up."
In a statement CDCR said:
"People get released from prison everyday across the state because they have completed their sentences per the law. They are released, for the most part, to the county where they committed their original offense. And in some cases, they are offered transportation to get to where they need to be, and are given information and resources to ensure a successful transition back to their communities."
