64-year-old inmate granted parole after over 20 years served
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has approved the decision for David Allen Funston, 64, to be granted parole under the Elderly Parole Program, after serving over 20 years. The decision, issued on February 18, has sparked strong reactions from victims and prosecutors.
Funston was arrested in 1996 and convicted in 1999 in Sacramento County on charges of kidnapping and sexually abusing at least eight children in the 1990s. The court handed down a lengthy sentence, with the judge at the time stating that the defendant had become "parents' worst nightmare."
Elderly Parole Program: Denied in 2022
California's Elderly Parole Program allows inmates aged 50 or older, who have served at least 20 years in prison, to apply for parole consideration. Funston's application was denied in 2022, but a 2025 hearing approved the request, and the Board of Parole Hearings within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation upheld the decision.
Victims object, former prosecutor proposes special management
One victim stated her opposition to the release and expressed concerns about community safety. Former Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert suggested transferring Funston to a state hospital's violent sexual offender management program to limit his reintegration into the community.
Funston is currently incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino. The official release date has not yet been announced.
The parole decision raises debate about balancing the rehabilitation of elderly inmates with protecting community safety in serious cases involving children.
