Lawmakers pushing to disqualify aging violent sex offenders from early parole

A California lawmaker has proposed legislation, named after two Riverside County child rape victims, that would disqualify convicted killers and violent sex offenders from a program that allows for the early release of aging prisoners who have served lengthy sentences.

Mary Bella’s Law, introduced as Senate Bill 286 by Sen. Brian Jones, R-San Diego, goes before the Senate Public Safety Committee for consideration on April 8. A news conference will be held on the steps of the state Capitol at 9 a.m. before the bill is heard in committee.

The proposed law would amend the state’s Elderly Parole Program, which was established in 2014 via court order and amended in 2021. It offers parole hearings for those at least 50 years old who have served 20 continuous years of incarceration — even murderers and violent sex offenders.

“We are hopeful that the committee will support this bipartisan, common sense legislation that protects the public, supports victims, and ensures justice,” said Jones, who introduced his bill on Feb. 6, in a statement Friday, March 28.

The bill’s co-author, Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, introduced her own legislation, Assembly Bill 47, on Dec. 2 proposing to exclude sex offenders from the Elderly Parole Program. It is pending consideration before the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

“I introduced this bill with district attorneys from across the state because people convicted of rape, child molestation, or other violent crimes should never be eligible for early release just because they’ve turned 50. That’s not justice — it’s retraumatizing survivors,” Nguyen said in a statement Friday.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is co-sponsoring Nguyen’s bill. District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement that both Jones’ and Nguyen’s bills aim “to protect vulnerable members of our community, particularly children, from the elevated risks associated with these offenders.”

Board of Parole Hearings officials insist the board employs a thorough consideration process, including a thorough evaluation by a forensic psychologist, for prisoners qualifying for release under the Elderly Parole Program. Fewer than 1% of high-risk sex offenders are granted parole, they say.

SB 286 is Jones’ second attempt at passing legislation that would disqualify sex offenders from the Elderly Parole Program. In 2021 he introduced SB 445, but Senate Democrats on the Public Safety Committee rejected the bill on a party-line vote, Jones said.

Mary Bella’s Law is named after the victims of two convicted child rapists from Riverside and San Bernardino counties — Cody Woodson Klemp, 68, of Moreno Valley and Charles William Mix, 69, of Fontana. Both Klemp and Mix qualified for early release under the program but were denied parole at their respective hearings.

And Klemp’s victim and Claira Stansbury, the sister of Mix’s victim, want to make sure it stays that way. They have been working with Jones and Nguyen’s offices to rally support for the proposed legislation.

“After surviving the unimaginable, these brave women were retraumatized by having to fight against the early release of their attackers. No victim should have to go through that,” Jones said in his statement. “Mary Bella’s Law ensures that rapists and child molesters serve their full sentences, no matter their age.”

Klemp’s victim, now 50, said she and Stansbury have been working “boots to the ground” in promoting Mary Bella’s Law on social media and handing out free T-shirts.

Stansbury said in a telephone interview that she helped connect Jones and Nguyen through their offices’ legislative directors.

“By bringing together a Republican senator and a Democratic Assembly member, we show that this is not a partisan issue. It’s a shared concern that requires everyone to come together,” Stansbury said.