We strongly endorse a yes on Proposition 47 because it will reduce exorbitant prison spending and redirect the savings to programs that are proven to help reduce crime such as school truancy prevention.
If passed, Proposition 47 would require misdemeanor sentences for the lowest level nonviolent crimes currently classified as felonies, such as certain drug possession and petty theft. It would also require resentencing for people serving felony sentences for these crimes.
The initiative presents a chance for Californians to reverse some of the devastating consequences of overcharging people for nonviolent crimes, a practice that perpetuates mass incarceration.
By far, the U.S. outpaces all other democracies in incarceration. Although Americans make up roughly only 5 percent of the world’s population, we hold a quarter of the world’s prison population. The rate of incarceration in the United States has quadrupled since 1970, and more than half the inmates in state prisons are serving terms for nonviolent crimes.
In California, state prisons are so overcrowded that the federal judges ruled them a gross violation of civil rights and ordered a cap on the number of inmates in 2009. This prompted an ill-conceived and costly prison realignment plan from Gov. Jerry Brown that shuffled thousands of inmates in state prisons to county jails, but did little to change the situation.
Despite lackluster results, state spending on corrections and rehabilitation increased by nearly $2 billion since 2011 when Brown began implementing his realignment plan.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that the effects of Proposition 47 could eventually result in annual savings of hundreds of millions of dollars while allowing the state to really reduce – not just relocate – the prison population by several thousand inmates. They also estimate that counties could save several hundreds of millions of dollars annually, mostly from easing jail capacity.
Savings in the state budget from Proposition 47 will be earmarked for programs that effectively improve public safety and help rehabilitate former convicts, including K-12 dropout prevention, mental health and drug treatment and services for victims of crimes.
We believe Proposition 47, backed by prominent law enforcement officers, Los Angeles Unified School District and Los Angeles City Council , is a meaningful opportunity to scale back unjust, disproportionate sentencing for nonviolent crimes, a civic injustice with destructive social and economic consequences.