California Might Scrap Good Behavior Credits for Inmates With Fentanyl-Related Offenses

A photo of 14 year old Alexander Neville who died after accidentally taking fentanyl is held in Irvine, Calif., on April 28, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

California inmates convicted of fentanyl-related crimes would be barred from earning good-behavior credits under a new bill.

But Assembly Bill (AB) 2341, introduced by Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong of Bakersfield, would require a constitutional amendment.

Under the California Constitution, the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation can grant prison inmates credits for good behavior or for participating in rehabilitative programs, according to the bill’s text. The credits can reduce their terms.

Also, state law allows a county sheriff or the director of corrections at a county jail to grant similar credits to jail inmates, the bill reads.

To become law, the bill would need approval by both the Assembly and Senate, and approval by voters of a constitutional amendment, according to the bill.

Introduced Feb. 12, the bill has until March 14 to be heard in an Assembly committee.

California lawmakers have been making efforts to crack down on the growing fentanyl crisis in the state, with multiple bills approved by the governor last year.

• Senate Bill 10, introduced by Sen. Dave Cortese, mandates school safety plans to prevent fentanyl overdoses.
• Assembly Bill 33, introduced by Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, establishes the Fentanyl Enforcement Program, which invests $15 million from the state budget to combat manufacturing, distribution and trafficking.
• Assembly Bill 701, authored by Assemblymembers Cottie Petrie-Norris and Carlos Villapudua, adds weight-based sentencing enhancements to fentanyl-related offenses over 1 kilogram, which previously existed only for heroin, cocaine, or cocaine-based drugs such as crack.