COCRA’s Letter of Opposition to AB 110

Posted in: Uncategorized

The following letter was sent to the office of Governor Brown, stating COCRA’s opposition to AB 110, a bill which affects the filing of felony pleas and sentencings.

Please refer to our earlier writings about this matter posted here and here.

July 26,2011
Honorable Jerry Brown
Governor
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 110 (Blumenfeld)-Request for Veto

Dear Governor Brown,

I am writing on behalf of the California Official Court Reporters Association (COCRA) and the Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 21, IFPTE, AFL-CIO (PTE), to request that you veto AB 110 (Blumenthal) when it reaches your desk.

AB 110 includes language which eliminates sentencing transcripts for inmates incarcerated in prisons operated by the California Department of Corrections. This language was slipped into a trailer bill at the last minute and was never the subject of any policy debate. Had we had the opportunity to testify on this issue, we would have opposed the proposal.

The sentencing transcripts help in the classification of inmates upon their arrival at prison and insure that the inmates are not inappropriately mixed with other inmates who might cause them harm. In addition, the transcripts form a record that protects inmates from serving longer sentences than they deserve, thus depriving them of their constitutional rights.

While this proposal is supposed to save money, we think any savings gained will be more than offset by the additional litigation that will be generated by the lack of a sufficient written record of sentencing matters.

For the above reasons, COCRA and IFPTE urge you to veto AB 110.

Comments are closed.