Inmates in a recreation yard at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, Calif. ; Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Proposition 47 has passed, which means sentencing reform is set to commence throughout California. In a pendulum swing away from the "tough-on-crime" attitude that was exemplified in bills such as 1994's "Three Strikes Law," many low-level drug and property offenses will now be classified as misdemeanors rather than felonies.
The sentencing reform could affect as many 10,000 inmates, and the savings from keeping the prisoners in jail would be used for anti-recidivism measures. And just as California was one of the first to push the three strikes law, a popular bill that exploded across state legislatures throughout the 1990s, California's enactment of Proposition 47 has the potential to spark new efforts for sentencing reform on both the state and national levels.
While opponents of sentencing reform note that most of its funding has come from wealthy billionaires and foundations like that of George Soros, proponents are succeeding in their strategy of causing grassroots changes in opinion through organized campaigns that include social media and funding for education.
Will the passage of Proposition 47's sentencing reform reduce crime and prison populations?
Guests:
Jackie Lacey, Los Angeles County District Attorney
Barry Krisberg, UC Berkeley Criminologist