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Inmates Released Early In California Under Prop 36 Have Low Recidivism Rate, Report Says

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In less than 10 months, California has let 1,000 inmates out of prison early.

Opponents said the releases would lead to an increase in crime, but a new report by the Stanford Three Strikes Project, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund shows that the released inmates' recidivism rate has been comparatively low.

The report says the 1,000 prisoners released early so far have a recidivism rate of 2 percent -- as opposed to the usual 16 percent for all California inmates. They were released because California voters in November passed Prop 36, revising the state's three-strikes law, which mandates a life sentence for anyone convicted of a third felony.

Prop 36 changed the law so that the third felony has to be serious or violent -- not something more minor like writing a bad check or stealing a slice of pizza. The measure also allows inmates whose third strike is a non-serious, nonviolent offense to petition for early release. The inmates released since November filed such a petition.

"California voters overwhelmingly thought this is a population of people who deserve a second chance. And this validates that," Emily Galvin, a Stanford researcher who helped draft the report, told The Huffington Post. "For every one Prop 36er who has committed a new crime, there are over 100 who have gotten jobs, gone back to school and become participating members of society again."

The Prop 36ers' low recidivism rate is especially notable because they have received much less in reentry assistance. While inmates released on probation or parole typically get about $6,000 in house and job assistance, Prop 36ers get about $200 to help them reenter society, the report says.

A judge must determine that each Prop 36er who is released is not a risk to public safety. For that reason and because many Prop 36ers are older, "we were expecting some [recidivism] difference between Prop 36ers and regular releases, but this difference is striking," Galvin said.

The report also says that California already has saved $10 to $13 million as a result of Prop 36.

But it found that there are about 2,000 three-strikes prisoners sentenced to life and eligible for early release still awaiting action on their petitions. The report calls on Gov. Jerry Brown to expedite these cases and ensure that public defenders have adequate resources to litigate them.

"We are a state with a budget crisis. Any opportunity to save funds without jeopardizing safety, we need to take advantage of," Galvin said.

After a 2011 Supreme Court ruling found that California's overcrowded prisons violate inmates' constitutional rights, a federal court ordered the state to cut its prison population by 9,600 inmates by the end of 2013. On Monday, Brown and the four leaders of California's Legislature offered to spend more money on rehabilitation efforts if a panel of federal judges extended the end-of-the-year deadline.

But Brown and other legislators have said they do not want releasing prisoners early to be part their effort to reduce prison population.

"We are not going to release a single additional prisoner," said Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles).

The panel of judges has not yet responded to the proposal.

Galvin emphasized that the state should consider all petitions in a timely manner. "A day in prison is not the same as a day outside. Every day that they're waiting for their day in court is a day they could get killed; it’s a day something horrible could happen," Galvin said. "Several elderly Prop 36ers have died of disease waiting for their day in court."

According to the report, of the 36ers whose early-release petitions have been heard, only 2 percent have been deemed a public-safety risk and thus denied early release.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Bryce Harper's Under Armour Ad Features Nationals Star Wearing Blue Underwear

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WASHINGTON -- Washington National's superstar outfielder Bryce Harper can add another accomplishment to his very young career: shirtless man in an underwear ad.

Under Armour's newest crop of underwear advertisements features a shirtless Haper in blue underwear. This is a very big departure from his May underwear advertisement. In that ad he was shirtless in grey underwear.

Harper is having an odd year, besides being a 20-year-old man photographed in his undergarments. After colliding with the right field wall in a game on May 13 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, his knee has been acting up. On May 26 he aggravated the knee injury and hasn't played since. Last week he received a cortisone injection into the bursa sac. His return date to the big leagues isn't set, but Nationals manager Davey Johnson said he will need to rehab in the minors.

Injury aside, Harper has other reasons to be happy. Before his stint on the disabled list, Haper was the Nationals' best player. His hustle helped make him a popular player in and outside D.C. He's currently leading the team in All-Star voting, third overall for all outfielders with 1,981,030 votes.

On Sunday, June 23 the Nationals will give away 15,000 Bryce Harper bobbleheads before a game against the Colorado Rockies.

If being almost-nude in advertisements seen around the globe, voted most popular and becoming a bobblehead isn't enough to make Harper feel better about his bum knee, maybe his free-Chipotle-for-life card will.

We just have one question: What color underwear should Harper be photographed wearing next?

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Pervez Musharraf Granted Bail In Judge Firing Case, Remains Under House Arrest

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In this Monday, April 15, 2013 photo, Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf gestures during a party meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

ISLAMABAD — A defense lawyer says a court has granted bail to Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in a case involving his allegedly unconstitutional 2007 decision to fire senior judges.

But Malik Qamar Afzal says that despite Tuesday's court ruling, Musharraf must stay under house arrest due to another case against him, which relates to the 2006 killing of an ethnic Baluch nationalist leader.

He says Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan for about nine years after staging a 1999 military coup, will be a free man if he gets bail in connection with that case.

The retired general was arrested in April, weeks after he returned to Pakistan after four years in self-imposed exile. He'd hoped to make a political comeback, but authorities did not let him contest May 11 elections.

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