According
to a NY Times article captioned “California Voters to Decide on Sending
Fewer Criminals to Prison”– Californians will soon have the opportunity
to send less people to prisons.
The
author states: Proposition 47, as it is called, would
redefine thefts, forgery and other property crimes involving less than $950,
and possession for personal use of drugs including heroin and cocaine, as
misdemeanors — punishable by at most one year in a county jail, and often by
probation and counseling. The changes would apply retroactively, lightening the
penalties for thousands already in prison or jails.
Not only
would many offenders avoid the crippling mark of a felony record, but the expected savings to
the state government of up to a few hundred million dollars per year would be
earmarked for mental health and substance abuse treatment, for counseling of
potential school dropouts and for victim services, in hopes of breaking the
cycle of crime. (Counties would also save several hundred million dollars
annually, according the state legislative analyst.)
For the
full article, go here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/us/california-voters-to-decide-on-sending-fewer-criminals-to-prison.html?emc=edit_th_20141006&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=15320701&_r=1
(note: Rumor has it that the state legislative
analyst will be an upcoming guest on Wallach on Law).
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