[Orange County Register] The state of California has made no secret that it wants to let as many people out of prison as possible.From the early release of inmates through AB 109, to filling parole boards with felon friendly commissioners, to decriminalizing a litany of felonies and drug offenses with Props 47 and 57, Sacramento lawmakers are bending over backwards to dramatically reduce the state’s inmate population.
Despite all of these efforts, the number of inmates hasn’t dropped dramatically enough to satisfy the state’s ruling Democrats, so they’re kicking tires on a new approach ‐ rigging the jury system so no one gets convicted in the first place.
This most recent push is Senate Bill 310, authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and would allow Californians who have prior felony convictions to serve on juries.
In a press release promoting the proposal, Skinner wrote, "SB310 will help ensure that California juries represent a fair cross-section of our communities...People with felony records have the right to vote in California. There is no legitimate reason why they should be barred from serving on a jury."