Schwarzenegger to authorize release of 30 Israeli prisoners
Ahead of Israel's 60th Anniversary celebrations, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected authorized the release of some 30 Israelis from the state's prisons, thus allowing them to serve the remainder of their sentences in Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
California's overcrowded prison system was cited as the official reason for the release of the prisoners. The state's prisons currently house 170,000 inmates, about 77,000 more than they can actually hold. The gesture marks a shift in the policy of the state's parole board, which has rejected numerous pleas by Israeli prisoners for an early release.
Mordehai Tzivlin, a defense attorney for the Israeli prisoners abroad and their families, said leaders of California's Jewish community were behind Schwarzenegger's decision.
According to Israeli Foreign Ministry data, 40 Israelis are currently being held in Los Angeles prisons, while 15 more are serving time in San Francisco for various offenses, including murder, money laundering, drug-trafficking and fraud.
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