Three Strike Orange County criminal released under Prop. 36

Orange County District Attorney, Media Advisory

For Immediate Release: June 18, 2013

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHO: Inmate John Paul Beckman, 48

WHAT: Was resentenced today under Proposition 36 by the Honorable Robert Fitzgerald over the objection of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Beckman is scheduled to be released today from Correctional Training Facility, Soledad.

At today’s hearing, the Court reviewed the inmate’s criminal background and determined that Beckman would no longer present a risk to public safety.

Criminal Background Submitted for Court Consideration

On March 23, 1984, Beckman was convicted of one misdemeanor count of trespassing. Beckman was sentenced to two days in jail.

On Oct. 15, 1984, Beckman was convicted of one misdemeanor count of possession of stolen property. Beckman was sentenced to seven days in jail with two years of probation.

On April 8, 1985, Beckman was convicted of one felony count of possession of stolen property. Beckman was sentenced to one year in state prison and three years of probation.

On Dec. 16, 1985, Beckman was convicted of one felony count each of commercial burglary and possession of stolen property. He was sentenced to one year and four months in state prison. Beckman was granted parole on July 31, 1986, and violated his parole on Oct. 10, 1986.

On Sept. 17, 1986, Beckman was convicted of one felony count of residential burglary and was sentenced to 46 days in jail.

(First Strike)

On March 31, 1987, Beckman was found to be in violation of his parole and returned to California Institution for Men, Chino to finish the duration of his sentence. Beckman violated his parole again on Jan. 10, 1989.

On Jan. 2, 1990, Beckman was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation.

On Aug. 1, 1990, Beckman was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance. The sentence for this offense was stayed pending the completion of the sentencing of his August 1990 armed robbery.

On Aug. 22, 1990, Beckman was convicted of one felony count of armed robbery with the use of a gun. He was sentenced to five years in state prison. (Second Strike)

On Feb. 10, 1995, Beckman was convicted of one felony count of commercial burglary and was sentenced to six years in state prison.

On Dec. 7, 2000, Beckman violated his parole. He violated his parole for a second time on April 10, 2002, and a third time on Sept. 23, 2002.

On Sept.10, 2003, Beckman was convicted of one felony count of forgery while he was out of custody on parole. Beckman was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison. (Third Strike)

Between 1986 and 2003, Beckman was found to be in violation of his parole on 13 different occasions. His criminal record states that he has not gone more than two years without a new commitment of a parole violation.

While incarcerated, Beckman committed several prison violations involving violence and threat of violence. In 1987, he was found guilty of possessing an inmate-manufactured knife. In 1988, Beckman was found guilty of stabbing another inmate. In 2009, Beckman participated in a prison riot and was heard inciting his fellow inmates to take part in the chaos.

What is Proposition 36?

In 1994, California voters passed the Three Strikes Law, which allowed state courts to impose a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for defendants convicted of two prior serious or violent felonies upon conviction of a new felony offense. As Three Strikes sentencing is imposed at the discretion of the presiding judge, less than 10 percent of defendants eligible to be sentenced under the Three Strikes in Orange County received the 25 year to life sentence.

On Nov. 6, 2012, Proposition 36 passed in California, limiting the Three Strikes Law primarily only to offenders who had been convicted of “serious or violent” offenses as their most recent offense. Defendants who committed two violent offenses before committing a non-violent felony offense may be eligible to file a petition to get a hearing to be released under Proposition 36. The new law authorizes re-sentencing for defendants currently serving Third- Strike life sentences if the defendant files a petition and the judge opines that resentencing does not oppose an unreasonable danger to the public. To date, the OCDA has received over 100 petitions for resentencing under Proposition 36.

It is OCDA’s intent to scrutinize every petition, conduct a case-by-case analysis, and vigorously uphold public safety by arguing against the release of all inmates who pose an unreasonable danger to the community. Each inmate has been afforded their due process in multiple legal hearings, trial(s), and appeals, both pre and post-conviction.

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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Contacts:

Susan Kang Schroeder
Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Farrah Emami
Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486