What is an ERD? ERD stands for Earliest Release Date… the date that a prisoner has finished his or her minimum prison sentence. Minimum sentence will soon be as little as fifty percent of the original sentence. That means if someone gets arrested for a crime against you and gets sentenced to ten years in prison, after five years, they could be free to go. The ERD is changing in many states due to budget cuts and a declining economy in the United States. California, Arizona, Nevada, Kentucky, Michigan, New York and other states are planning on an early release of prisoners to help their states save some cash. Many people are against this prisoner early release program, including judges, law enforcement, state prosecutors and victim advocate groups. They say they are putting the law abiding citizens at risk by putting convicted felons back at arm’s reach. How do you feel about it? Is there someone in your life that has been affected by a crime, and their attacker is now in prison? How will you feel when they get released? (more…)