Coalition of Victims' families, Law Enforcement Leaders, Public Safety Organizations to Hold Press Conference on July 15 in Sacramento

WHEN: 
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
2:00 p.m.

WHERE: 
‍California Board of Parole Hearings
1515 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Sacramento, CA—July 10, 2026— The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) will host a major press conference on Wednesday, July 15, to announce a lawsuit aimed at stopping new Parole Board regulations that could open the door to release for some of California's most violent criminals—including offenders serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP).

The announcement will bring together an unprecedented coalition of victims' families, law enforcement leaders, prosecutors, victims' rights organizations, and public safety advocates from across California who believe the regulations exceed the Board's legal authority and undermine the promises made to crime victims.

WHO:

• Anne Marie Schubert, President & CEO, Criminal Justice Legal Foundation
• Law enforcement leaders
• Former corrections officials
• Former judicial officers
• Representatives of victims' rights organizations
• Family members of murder victims whose loved ones were killed by offenders servingLWOP and de facto LWOP sentences, including
  
   
  • Sharon Rocha, mother of Laci Peterson
  • Sharon & Kenneth Kavanaugh, grandparents of 6-week-old Alya Van Streefkerk
  • Angela Chavez, aunt of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu
  • Family members of murdered peace officers

WHAT:
Press conference announcing the filing of a lawsuit challenging the Board of Parole Hearings' new Commutation and Recall regulations.

WHEN:
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
2:00 p.m.

WHERE:
California Board of Parole Hearings Headquarters
1515 K Street, Sacramento, California

Why This Matters

The challenged regulations create an entirely new bureaucratic and administrative process allowing inmates who have served at least 25 years—including offenders serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP)—to seek sentence reductions or gubernatorial commutations that could allow some of California's most violent criminals to leave prison despite sentences intended to keep them incarcerated for life.

According to the California Board of Parole Hearings, thousands of inmates could become eligible under the new process, including offenders serving LWOP, de facto LWOP, and other lengthy prison sentences imposed for some of California's most heinous crimes, including the murders of peace officers, children, multiple victims, torture murders, and other exceptionally brutal crimes.

CJLF and coalition members contend the Parole Board created this new early-release process without authorization from the Legislature or California voters, fundamentally changing California's sentencing laws through administrative regulation rather than through laws enacted by the people's elected representatives.

"This lawsuit is about far more than one set of regulations," said Anne Marie Schubert, President and CEO of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation. "It is about whether an unelected administrative agency can create a new early-release process for some of California's most violent offenders without approval from the Legislature or the voters. Victims' families were promised that Life Without the Possibility of Parole meant exactly that. Instead, they are being forced to relive unimaginable tragedies decades after they believed justice had been served."

The July 15 press conference will outline the legal basis for the challenge, explain why coalition members believe the regulations exceed the Board's statutory authority, and highlight the impact these regulations could have on victims' families, public safety, and the integrity of California's sentencing laws.

Following the press conference, victims' family members, law enforcement leaders, and attorneys will be available for interviews.