Last year California voters passed Proposition 47, which downgraded drug possession and five other non-violent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. A new study finds that since the law went into effect about 13,000 fewer people have been incarcerated in California, saving the state more than $150 million. But critics in law enforcement say Prop. 47 took away their “felony hammer” to drive drug users into treatment and blame the law for a crime spike in some cities. Forum looks at Proposition 47, one year in.
California's Prop. 47 Sentencing Reform Law Gets Mixed Reviews One Year In
Last year California voters passed Proposition 47, which downgraded drug possession and five other non-violentcrimes from felonies to misdemeanors. A new study finds that since the law went into effect about 13,000 fewerpeople have been incarcerated in California, saving the state more than $150 million. But critics in lawenforcement say Prop. 47 took away their "felony hammer" to drive drug users into treatment and blame the lawfor a crime spike in some cities. Forum looks at Proposition 47, one year in.
(Julie Small/KQED)
Guests:
George Gascon, district attorney, City and County of San Francisco; former chief of police of the San Francisco Police Department
Steve Wagstaffe, district attorney, San Mateo County
Michael Romano, director of the Three Strikes Project, Stanford Law School; principal author of the Proposition 47 Progress Report: Year One Implementation