It’s October 1st and time for Realignment

I’ve written in the past about the Public Safety Realignment Act in California. It shifts much of the responsibility over incarceration from the State to the counties and is intended to relieve the overburdened State prison system. The act took effect today and here are some of the changes:

• Starting today – subject to certain exceptions including a strike prior – a defendant sentenced for a non-violent, non-serious felony who is denied probation will serve the term of his imprisonment in the county jail rather than the state prison.
• For crimes committed on or after October 1, 2011, county jail inmates will be eligible for two days of good conduct credits for every two days in jail.
• Reform of the parole system.