| For Immediate Release January 18, 2013 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
|
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHO: Inmate Joel Alan Roberts
WHAT: Resentenced today under Proposition 36 over the objection of the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office. Roberts is scheduled to be released today from California State Prison, Corcoran.
WHEN: Today, Jan. 18, 2013
Criminal Background
In 1982, Roberts was convicted of one felony count of grand theft and one felony count of receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of formal probation.
Between December 1984 and February 1985, Roberts committed four separate robberies at gunpoint in businesses in Orange County and stole a total of $700. He was convicted and sentenced to five years and eight months in prison and received Four Strikes for those offenses.
In 1990, Roberts was convicted of one misdemeanor count of petty theft and was sentenced to 270 days in jail and 12 months of probation.
In 1994, Roberts was convicted of one felony count of possession of a controlled substance in San Bernardino and sentenced to two years in state prison. In 1998, Roberts was convicted of one felony count of possession of a controlled substance in Orange County and sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.
In 2005, while in prison, Roberts and a second inmate assaulted a third inmate. Roberts used his fists to assault the victim while the second inmate stabbed the victim with a knife.
What is Proposition 36?
In 1994, California voters passed the Three Strikes Law, which allowed state courts to impose a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for defendants convicted of two prior serious or violent felonies upon conviction of a new felony offense. As Three Strikes sentencing is imposed at the discretion of the presiding judge, less than 10 percent of defendants eligible to be sentenced under Three Strikes in Orange County received the 25 year to life sentence.