First appearance on FOX Republican lawmakers in California have warned that a Democratic-led bill aimed at addressing issues surrounding sexual abuse to protect inmates in state facilities could result in overall shortened sentences for violent offenders.
SB 898, authored by Democratic state Sen. Nancy Skinner of Berkeley, aims to strengthen protections for individuals incarcerated in California facilities by addressing issues surrounding sexual abuse and expanding opportunities for legal remedies.
But Republicans say a little-known provision in the bill would allow inmates serving sentences of 15 years or more to seek resentencing or release if the sentencing guidelines have changed since they were convicted.
“You know, they make a big fuss about crime going down, but that's because Democrats decriminalized it in California,” state Sen. Brian Dahl said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Victims of murder, violent sex crimes, rape, murder, child abuse can come forward every three years and have a hearing where they can potentially be released, whether they've been rehabilitated or not.”
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California Governor Gavin Newsom (AP Photo/Steven Sene/File)
Dahle said this would create a cycle of frequent hearings and petitions, with victims having to attend repeat hearings every three years and relive the trauma inflicted by their perpetrators.
Skinner dismissed the Republican criticism, calling it a “false accusation” about SB 898 and “just the latest example of MAGA distortions and lies.”
“SB 898 is primarily intended to protect inmates who have been proven to have been raped or sexually assaulted by prison guards or staff,” she told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This addendum simply adds attorneys to the existing list of those eligible to request a court hearing if California changes its sentencing laws. SB 898 does not release anyone from prison, that's all.”
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This provision allows the defense to request a hearing if California revises sentences for certain crimes, but it does not automatically result in release. Hearings are not guaranteed and can be denied by judges, and there is no guarantee that a change in the sentencing guidelines will result in immediate release.
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Meanwhile, Sen. Skinner's bill focuses on several proposals regarding how sexual abuse and sentencing issues would be handled within the California prison system. The bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to monitor inmates who report sexual abuse for 90 days to prevent retaliation.
“If someone is being raped in prison, then obviously something needs to be done to isolate and remedy those incidents,” Dahle responded. “This has been going on for as long as people have been in prison. Yes, there are bad people, but for the most part, we do the best we can with the situation. But prisons are difficult places to isolate someone.”
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California State Capitol (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images/Courtesy of National Urban League/File)
According to an analysis of the bill by Senate Republicans, the bill has been “misclassified by legislative counsel as a bill that primarily deals with 'sexual assault resentencing.'”
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“The title remains the same from the previous version. [it] “While the bill retains some provisions on that issue, the bill's most significant changes to sentencing law have nothing to do with sexual assault, other than the possibility of early release from prison for individuals who commit sexual offenses,” the analysis states.
