Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Californians Endorse Bipartisan Measure To Decrease Incarceration

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.)


(note:  Rumor has it that the state legislative analyst will be an upcoming guest on Wallach on Law).

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