Just got my copy of Jaycee Dugards book today: a stolen life
Phillip Garrido's Release Spurs California DA to Seek Parole Changes
http://abcnews.go.com/US/phillip-garridos-release-spurs-california-da-seek-parole/story?id=14213297
But he says a big issue in the Phillip Garrido case was an "overreliance upon psychiatric professionals who were all too willing to listen to what Phillip Garrido was telling them and ignore the documented evidence that overwhelmingly established that he is a sexual predator."
Something very bad has happened to the law in the state of California regarding parole, the DA says.
Since 2008, when the State Parole Board is deciding whether to release an offender, they don't look at the initial crime the offender committed. Instead they look at how he or she has been coping in jail and the predictions provided by psychologists and psychiatrists about the offender's danger to the community.
Pierson wants the parole board to look at the seriousness of the initial offense when trying to determine whether to release someone on parole.
He has released a report today with findings concerning the facts and circumstances of the Jaycee Dugard case. Garrido was convicted of kidnapping and raping Dugard, holding her for 18 years. Despite his string of violent crimes Garrido is still considered by the state to be a "moderate to low risk for reoffending."
He is working with Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, to change the existing law.
They are working together on a new bill to introduce to the legislature next week in which they would permit the parole board to look at the seriousness of the committing offense in parole decisions.
Pierson and Gaines also want to strengthen California's public safety protection in light of the circumstances surrounding Jaycee Lee Dugard's kidnapping and captivity.