SACRAMENTO – On Tuesday the Assembly Public Safety Committee approved Ryla’s Law (Assembly Bill 1011) authored by Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) to limit early release for those convicted of child abuse that results in the death of the child. Ryla’s Law was named after a child in Rancho Cordova who lost her life at the hands of a daycare worker in 2019. It passed with strong bipartisan support.
“It’s unreasonable that child abuse, even if it results in death, is classified as a non-violent crime in California where the abuser serves minimal time behind bars. Ryla’s Law is a common sense bill that ensures child abusers face appropriate consequences for killing a child,” Assemblyman Hoover said. “It’s refreshing that the Public Safety Committee has chosen to prioritize victims over criminals. Our number one job as lawmakers should be protecting our children from harm.”
Under current law, physical child abuse and/or endangering the health of a child is considered a “non-violent” offense and therefore eligible for early release. Further, even in circumstances where child abuse results in the death of a child, the crime is still considered non-violent whereby the offender qualifies for conservation/fire camp. Fire camps are California’s most generous credit awarding formula where offenders receive 2/3 or more off their sentence. This bill would make this offense ineligible for those credits.
“This bill is a win for all children who have come and gone before us and holds deadly child abusers accountable,” stated Ryan Strange, Ryla’s father.
Ryla’s abuser was sentenced to 10 years in prison; however, because child abuse is considered a “non-violent” crime, the daycare worker qualified to serve in a conservation camp and was released after being incarcerated for only 2 years and 8 months for the crime of killing a child.
Josh Hoover represents Assembly District 7, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, and Rancho Cordova and the unincorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Mather, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Orangevale, and Rosemont.
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