People Are Already Being Released From Detention Because Of California’s Ballot Initiative

[Playinghardball]

On Tuesday, California passed a ballot initiative to reclassify a number of non-violent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. And on Thursday, at least six kids were released from juvenile detention in San Diego as a result.

While some of the criminal justice ballot initiatives passed Tuesday face years of implementation and procedural hurdles, the effects of Proposition 47 are immediate, the San Diego Tribune is reporting, with public defenders taking 200 calls an hour from inmates who are eligible to have their sentences shortened. Several kids in San Diego’s Juvenile Hall were immediately released pursuant to a law that prohibits juveniles from being held longer than adults for the same offenses. And the public defender’s office is expected to file a first round of petitions to get sentences shortened this week.

On Tuesday, California passed a ballot initiative to reclassify a number of non-violent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. And on Thursday, at least six kids were released from juvenile detention in San Diego as a result.

While some of the criminal justice ballot initiatives passed Tuesday face years of implementation and procedural hurdles, the effects of Proposition 47 are immediate, the San Diego Tribune is reporting, with public defenders taking 200 calls an hour from inmates who are eligible to have their sentences shortened. Several kids in San Diego’s Juvenile Hall were immediately released pursuant to a law that prohibits juveniles from being held longer than adults for the same offenses. And the public defender’s office is expected to file a first round of petitions to get sentences shortened this week.

Some 10,000 inmates serving prison sentences for six low-level offenses could be eliglble to shave years off their sentence under the change. These felonies carried three years in prison. Now they carry at most one year in jail.

The offenses include drug possession for personal use, as well as five crimes involving property valued at less than $950: theft, writing bad checks, forgery, shoplifting and receiving stolen property.

More here: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/07/3590167/people-are-already-being-released-from-detention-because-of-californias-ballot-initiative/

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Good. It's a start. n/t

[bravenak]

2. This will save alot of money for the state.

Such long sentences were just a bad idea anyway. I prefer Caltrans for crimes like this. Or community service on weekends for a while. We need to reduce sentences for nonviolent crimes all over the place instead of feeding the prison machine all of our money. Out patient drug rehabilitation programs need to be expanded and improved to help deal with the issues addicts face and help prevent recidivism.