warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Midterm Election Primer: California Proposition 47

Olivia Niland |
October 15, 2014 | 7:00 p.m. PDT

Web Producer

(Olivia Niland/Neon Tommy)
(Olivia Niland/Neon Tommy)
Thanks to the state's Three Strikes Law, the California prison system is notoriously overcrowded. With 136,000 prisoners currently incarcerated in the state, some California politicians and families are now calling for a reevaluation of how certain crimes are punished.

California Proposition 47, Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative, which is currently on the ballot for the Nov. 4 midterm election, would reduce certain felony crimes to misdemeanors, resulting in fewer criminals incarcerated, and shorter sentences for those who are, as well as an estimated savings in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year. 

READ MORE: CA School and Prison Funding Demand Review, Advocates Say

California Proposition 47 Fast Facts:

  • "Non-serious, nonviolent crimes" would become misdemeanors, rather than felonies, unless the defendant has already been convicted of murder, rape, or certain sex offenses or gun crimes. 
  • Crimes that would require misdemeanor rather than felony sentencing (if theft or fraud does not exceed $950): shoplifting, grand theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, fraud, writing a bad check, and the personal use of most drugs. 
  • Anyone currently serving a sentence for any of the crimes eligible for being reduced to a misdemeanor (about 10,000 inmates) would be permitted re-sentencing.
  • Proposes creating a Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund for distribution of the estimated $150-250 million saved by Prop. 47 each year. 
  • Nearly 2/3 of the money distributed by the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund would go toward mental health and substance abuse programs; 1/4 will go toward K-12 schools, and 1/10 will go to trauma recovery services for crime victims. 
  • All changes would apply to juvenile and adult offenders. 

About 10,000 California inmates would qualify for re-sentencing if Prop. 47 passes (Data via the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
About 10,000 California inmates would qualify for re-sentencing if Prop. 47 passes (Data via the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

PRO Prop. 47: Shorter sentences, less crowded prisons, more productive members of society

Proponents of proposition include Californians for Safe Neighborhoods & Schools and the California Democratic Party. Arguments in favor of Proposition 47 are that it will result in less prison space taken up by low-level, nonviolent offenders, while keeping violent offenders in prison. It would also save the government millions of dollars on prison spending each year, and supporters say the proposition will make it easier for those who have committed crimes to be productive members of society, which having a felony conviction can hinder. 

CON Prop 47: More crowded jails, more offenders buying firearms, less ability to prevent crime

Opponents of Proposition 47 include the California Police Chiefs Association and the California Republican Party. Critics argue that Prop. 47 will release dangerous Three Strikes inmates, and make it difficult to restrict criminals from purchasing firearms if they have not been charged with a felony. Prop. 47 would also make the possession of date rape drugs a misdemeanor, rather than a felony. Law enforcement leaders and crime victim advocates have been the most vocal about opposition to Prop. 47. Opponents have registered the Californians Against Prop. 47, Sponsored by California Public Safety Institute campaign committee in response.

 

Reach Web Producer Olivia Niland hereFollow her on Twitter here.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.