Legal News

Governor changes parole file policy

By Richard Binder

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has reversed a longtime policy of shredding sex offenders' parole files, wanting those documents instead to be maintained indefinitely.

This policy change comes on the heels of a recent arrest of a paroled sex offender accused of killing a 17-year-old girl near San Diego last month. John Albert Gardner III was discharged from parole in 2008, and his file was purged after a year. An assemblyman had requested the file earlier this month and reportedly received only a one-page summary of Gardner's history in corrections. An investigation was called for, and later on Tuesday the governor issued a statement changing the policy.

Corrections officials said because of storage limitations, destruction of parole documents for other types of offenders will continue.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on March 11, 2010 (boomark / email).