They Earned Parole. A Court Order Keeps Them From Returning Home

Lance Gonzalez spent months planning with his wife where to go for breakfast on June 26, the day he was scheduled to be released from Ironwood State Prison after 16 years.

Gonzalez and his wife, Cristal, were deciding between iHop or Denny’s in Palm Springs, roughly 100 miles from the prison. It didn’t matter to Gonzalez where they ate because he’d be with his two teenage daughters and Cristal, his wife of five years.

After breakfast, the family was going to drive home to Los Angeles, where Gonzalez, 38, dreamed of starting a nonprofit organization to help at-risk youth. He would teach them how to build confidence and empathy, skills he developed over a decade through courses he took in prison. In L.A., he was going to take care of his aging parents. He and Cristal, who he’s known since he was 13, wanted to renew their vows, have more kids and build generational wealth, Gonzalez said.

His stomach dropped when he learned his dreams would have to be put on hold.

In an attempt to unwind Proposition 57, a 2016 voter-approved ballot measure aimed to incentivize rehabilitation, promote public safety and reduce prison overcrowding, a lawsuit filed against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation halted his release. Gonzalez is one of at least 100 people whose release date has been delayed as CDCR’s credit-earning regulations are disputed, according to court records. The regulations were challenged by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a public interest law organization that filed the lawsuit.

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