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Baines bill would raise parole eligibility for child torture to 14 years; opponents argue it undercuts individualized review
Summary
Assemblymember Baines said AB 1094 would require a minimum 14‑year term before parole eligibility for persons convicted of torturing a child while in a caretaking role.
Assemblymember Baines presented AB 1094, a bill to impose a minimum term of 14 years before parole eligibility for anyone convicted of torturing a child age 14 or younger when the perpetrator was in a position of care or custody.
"Our children are our most vulnerable citizens," Baines said, arguing the current life-sentence parole‑eligibility minimum of seven years does not reflect the severity of child torture. Deputy District Attorney Bethel Cope Vega of the Orange County District Attorney's Office, testifying in support, said torture of children is "an entirely different crime" that leaves life‑long physical and psychological damage.
Opponents — including Initiate Justice, the California Public Defenders Association, the ACLU and defense groups — said the change is more punitive than evidence‑driven, would extend incarceration and associated costs, and undermines individualized parole review. "The parole process is designed to ensure that only people who have demonstrated they are not a risk to society ... are ever granted parole," said Marco George of the Public Defenders Association.
Several senators expressed sympathy for victims but questioned whether the bill was the best policy tool; one member said the state already has very low parole-grant rates and stressed the need for prevention and trauma-informed responses.
The committee did not vote at the hearing because no quorum was present; the author asked members to vote affirmatively once a quorum is established.
