Law: Parole Power to the People

Community outrage blocks a rapist-murderer's release

William Fain, 36, is a model prisoner at San Quentin. He gets along well with fellow inmates and staff and says he has found God. A psychiatrist has concluded that his potential for violence is "probably less than average." So a parole board ordered his release in January. But instead of getting out, Fain unwillingly has become an entry in California legal annals. Twice now he has won a parole only to have it short-circuited by a public uproar—making him the first person to be held past his...

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