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East County News Service
Photo snip of Jones with San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan (right) courtesy California State Republicans YouTube channel
April 16, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) -- In February, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 286, to close what he called a “dangerous loophole” in California’s Elderly Parole program that allows violent sex offenders and murderers as young as age 50 to be released early.
Authored by Jones, and coauthored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove), the Senate Public Safety Committee earlier this month unanimously approved the bipartisan SB 286, also known as Mary Bella’s Law, to close that loophole.
“Releasing violent rapists under the so-called ‘elderly parole’ is not only an insult to victims but a grave danger to Californians,” Jones stated in a press release.. “Survivors of violent sex crimes and the families of murder victims should never have to live in fear that their attacker could walk free long before serving their full sentence.
"But under current law, the system is rigged in favor of criminals, forcing the Board of Parole Hearings to justify why these offenders shouldn’t be released. That’s completely backward. The law should protect law-abiding Californians, not violent criminals.”
Before the bill hearing, Leader Jones held a press conference with San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan, Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), Auburn-California headquartered Crime Victims United, and more than 40 victims and victim advocates including: Colleen Stan, known as the "Girl in the Box" from the Lifetime Movie, survivor of Cameron Hooker of Red Bluff, CA; Mary Johnson, survivor of Cody Klemp of Moreno Valley, CA; Claira Stansbury speaking on behalf of her sister Bella Clark, survivor of Charles Mix of Riverside, CA; and, Johanna Call, survivor of Michael Dausey of Shasta County, CA.
The current Elderly Parole program was quietly expanded through a last-minute, gut-and-amend budget bill, Assembly Bill 3234 (Ting – 2020), which lowered the age threshold for elderly parole from 60 years of age to 50 years of age. A loophole in that bill allows violent sex offenders to be eligible for elderly parole after serving only 20 years.
Despite its major societal and fiscal impacts, AB 3234 was rushed through the process without a single Senate policy committee hearing. Proponents of the measure vowed that sex offenders and rapists would not be eligible for Elderly Parole, but ‘"accidentally" left out that key protection — and have refused to fix their mistake.
Since its passage, multiple rapists and child molesters have become eligible for Elderly Parole, forcing victims and their families to relive their trauma as they fight to keep their perpetrators behind bars.
Mary Bella’s Law will finally correct this dangerous loophole, ensuring that rapists and child molesters aren’t eligible for Elderly Parole. A petition in support of SB 286 has garnered almost 700 signatures statewide.
“I’m grateful to the Senate Public Safety Committee for advancing this commonsense, bipartisan measure and putting victims first. Today’s bill passage is a win for public safety and a message to crime victims that they have not been forgotten,” Jones said.
SB 286 was the second attempt by Jones to close this loophole for rapists in the Elderly Parole program. His previous bill, SB 445 (2021), was blocked by Senate Democrats in the Public Safety Committee on a party-line vote.
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Just to be fair. . .
Incarcerated...