Julie

11/22/2015
Intro to Gov PS 1 (6342)
Assignment: Journal Entry #3

California Politics-Chapter 6
Criminal Justice and Its Costs
Prop 47, Nov. 4th, 2014
(Approved)

As of 2011, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation admitted that the
states prison population was 185% above the recommended capacity, housing 163,000 inmates
in facilities designed to house only 85,000. (pp.81) By June of 2013, the inmate population had
been reduced to 119,200, which is still 149.5% of capacity. In an effort to reduce prison costs
associated with the housing of non-serious and non-violent inmates, Proposition 47 was brought
before the People of California for a vote. The initiative reduces the classification of Nonserious and Non-violent property and drug crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor. Specifically,
the initiative states:

Mandates a misdemeanor instead of a felony for non-serious, non-violent crimes,

unless the defendant has prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex offenses or certain

gun crimes.
Permits resentencing for anyone currently serving a prison sentence for any of the
offenses that the initiative reduces to a misdemeanor. About 10,000 current inmates will
be immediately eligible for resentencing.

Creates a Safe Neighborhood and Schools Fund. The fund will receive appropriations
based savings accrued by the State of California. The estimated savings in incarceration

costs is $150 million-$250 million per year.

Distribution of funds for the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools shall be as follows: 25%to
the Department of Education, 10% to the Victim Compensation and Government Claims
Board, and 65% to the Board of State and Community Corrections.
The Measure requires misdemeanor rather than felony convictions for the following
crimes:

Shoplifting-when the value does not exceed $950.00 USD.

Grand Theft-when the value does not exceed $950.00 USD.
Receiving Stolen Property-when the value does not exceed $950.00 USD.
Forgery-when the value does not exceed $950.00 USD.
Fraud-when the value does not exceed $950.00 USD.
Writing a Bad Check- when the value does not exceed $950.00 USD.
Personal Use of Most Illegal Drugs.

Following the passage of Proposition 47, Californias inmate population started to drop across
the entire state. In the County of Los Angeles, the largest in the state, the inmate population
dropped from 18,601 in November 2015 to 17,285 in January 2015.
As of March 16, 2015, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has
released 3,068 inmates since November 2015 and only 14 have been returned to prison. That
represents a return rate of only .005%. As of mid-August, 2015 4,347 inmates have been released
from the California State Prison System due to the passage of Prop 47.
As a fellow citizen and resident of the State of California, I think that we can all probably
agree that reducing our prison population in a safe and fair way, while at the same time reducing
the costs of incarceration, has resulted in a very large fiscal reduction in our states budget,

however, the indirect impact that Prop 47 has had on inmates, their families, and friends cannot
be measured in dollars alone. As an example, in my family, we have a member that, for a period
of approximately 18 years, has been fighting a drug addiction. This addiction has lead to
numerous arrests for minor crimes such as shoplifting, trespass, etc. and over this period, his
sentences have increased in their length of time in incarceration as well as the moving from
misdemeanors to felonies. While most members of the family have had a difficult time
understanding his chosen way of life, we can generally all agree that at this point, he is incapable
of changing this lifestyle on his own. Each and every time that he has been incarcerated, we all
hope that he will be able to free himself from his addiction when he returns to society, yet each
and every time, he returns to County Jail or State Prison. His addiction has had an enormous
impact on his family and friends. Due to Prop 47, he has recently been released from State Prison
and sent to a long term rehabilitation center. As family members, we all agree that this is a place
that he will have a chance to get back on track with his life.

References:
Textbook: California Politics 3rd Edition, Retrieved from: Chapter 6, pg.81Criminal Justice and
Its Costs on date 11/22/2015.
California Proposition 47, Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative (2014)
Retrieved from: http://www.BallotPedia.org/California Prop 47 on date 11/22/2015.