Bipartisan Bill Would Add Attempted Murder to List of Crimes Requiring Jail Time

The measure was needed, its Assembly backer said, because mental health diversion has let some convicted individuals avoid prison.

The bill was co-authored by 13 Assembly members of both parties and two Republican senators. Above, the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 19, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A newly introduced bill led by a Democratic Assembly member and co-sponsored by members of both parties seeks to make attempted murder a crime that would require jail time instead of alternative mental health diversion programs.

Written by Assemblywoman Stephanie Nguyen, Assembly Bill 2576 adds attempted murder to a list of charges—including murder, voluntary manslaughter, and rape, among other things—that prohibit a defendant from qualifying for pre-trial diversion.