Parole

Hossein Nayeri, the 41-year-old Newport Beach man who was convicted last year of playing a role in the kidnapping and mutilation of a medical marijuana dealer, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for what a prosecutor described as “diabolical” behavior.Prosecutors said the 2012 crime stemmed from Nayeri’s mistaken belief that the owner of a prosperous Santa Ana pot dispensary, who has been referred to in court as John Doe, had hidden $1 million in the Mojave Desert. Nayeri and two other attackers…

Oscar Pistorius, convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 10 years ago, has just been paroled in South Africa.Leaving prison on Friday (January 5), the former Paralympian, now 37, will live under strict conditions until his sentence expires in 2029. His parole falls under South African law, which enables all offenders to be considered for parole once they have served half their total sentence. For Pistorius, this was finally set in 2017 at 13 years and five months.Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, said in…

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the Missouri woman who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her abusive mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, was released from prison Thursday, Dec. 28, ABC News reports. Blanchard was approved for early release on parole back in September, having served seven years of a 10-year sentence. She reportedly left the Chillicothe Correctional Center at 3:30 a.m. In pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Blanchard admitted that she arranged for her boyfriend, Nicholas…

Sophie Alcorn Contributor Sophie Alcorn is the founder of Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley and 2019 Global Law Experts Awards’ “Law Firm of the Year in California for Entrepreneur Immigration Services.” She connects people with the businesses and opportunities that expand their lives. More posts by this contributor Ask Sophie: Is it easier yet for AI founders to get green cards? Ask Sophie: How do we transfer H-1Bs? Can we…

Stephanie Lazarus, who was an L.A. police detective when she killed her former boyfriend’s wife in 1986, was recommended for parole by a select committee Thursday.Lazarus, 63, was convicted in 2012 of murdering Sherri Rasmussen, a 29-year-old hospital nursing director. After the initial investigation into Rasmussen’s death, the case went cold for 23 years. New evidence led police to reopen the case, and Lazarus was arrested in 2009. She is currently serving a prison sentence of 27 years to life at the California…

Gov. Gavin Newsom will not challenge a California appellate court’s decision to allow parole for Leslie Van Houten, moving the former follower of Charles Manson closer to release following more than 50 years behind bars. “The governor is disappointed by the Court of Appeal’s decision to release Ms. Van Houten, but will not pursue further action as efforts to further appeal are unlikely to succeed,” Newsom’s communications director, Erin Mellon, said in a statement Friday. Van Houten, 73, is serving a life sentence for…

Leslie Van Houten, a follower of cult leader Charles Manson who took part in murders on his orders, is entitled to parole after spending more than 50 years behind bars, a California appeals court ruled Tuesday, reversing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to deny her release. Van Houten, 73, has been recommended for parole five times since 2016, but all were denied by Newsom or his predecessor, Gov. Jerry Brown. Tuesday’s decision by the 2nd District Court of Appeal is the first time a court has overruled a governor’s denial…

Image: Studio MAPPA/Toho AnimationA new season of the year means new anime to dig into. Among the newcomers for the spring season is Studio MAPPA’s adaptation of Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku from Yuji Kaku, which started airing at the beginning of the month. Now with three episodes under its belt, the English dub for the show begins today (April 15), and that also means it’s time to meet the show’s English actors.Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Has Infectious Good Energy Alejandro Saab (Vinland Saga) plays the lead role of Gabimaru, an…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Over the last decade, there has been an effort by lawmakers to reduce incarceration in the United States without impacting public safety. This effort includes parole boards making risk-based parole decisions—releasing people assessed to be at low risk of committing a crime after being released. To…

Photo: lev radin (Shutterstock)State law in New York will now have to replace the term “inmate” with “incarcerated individual” regarding people involved in the criminal justice system.This change comes from new legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul this week in an attempt to reduce the stigma against incarcerated individuals by “correcting outdated terminology,”as stated in the press release.Previous legislation regarding this switch was made by former Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021, but that legislation covered…