Posted on 11/07/2014 5:36:43 PM PST by BenLurkin
A ballot measure passed by voters this week is already freeing California suspects from jail as their felony charges are reduced to misdemeanors, and people previously convicted of the charges receive reduced sentences as they appear in court.
Sheriffs across the state immediately began implementing Proposition 47, which calls for treating shoplifting, forgery, fraud, petty theft and possession of small amounts of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines, as misdemeanors instead of felonies.
Two-dozen suspects who were being held on those charges walked out of Sacramento County jail two days after 58 percent of voters approved the initiative on Tuesday. They were among the more than 400 Sacramento jail inmates expected to be freed while they await trial on reduced charges that in many cases will no longer keep people behind bars after arrests.
Other sheriffs immediately changed arrest policies while they reviewed which inmates qualify for release. Meanwhile, inmates in state prison on the charges can petition for release.
...
Critics predicted, however, that the measure will hurt public safety.
“It’s a grand experiment: Can we take this money we’re no longer spending on jail and prison and turn it into rehabilitation one day down the line?” said Cory Salzillo, legislative director for the California State Sheriffs’ Association. “But the one thing we have for certain is more crime, less people in custody and more victims.”
(Excerpt) Read more at losangeles.cbslocal.com ...
Your link does not work. “AP” just goes back to FR.
Well this should enhance CA. Immigrations from around the US
How did this measure get on the ballot? I thought laws were enacted through the legislative process, and not enacted directly by voters? Can Obamacare be changed with a ballot measure? I didn’t think so! This decriminalization measure was unconstitutional from the get go and should NOT have been a ballot measure.
If only I hadn't lost all my guns and ammunition down an unmarked mine shaft on that trip to the desert, I would be locked and loaded right now ; ). California is becoming not only a very expensive place to live but very dangerous too thanks to all the ignorant liberals!
Not for me it doesn’t.
It goes here (via FR “redirector”)http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/11/07/prisoners-freed-quickly-after-voters-ok-prop-47/
Since you asked, several, if not most, states allow the iniative (citizen-proposed laws) or referendum (citizen approval/disapproval of laws passed by the legislature). These were part of the “Wisconsin Plan” of reforms started 100 years ago. They never were incorporated into the Federal system, so to answer your question, no we can’t vote out ObamaCare.
As to their constitutionality, if a Federal judge doesn’t like what the voters want, like say same-sex “marriage”, then of course it is unconstitutional.
And it costs taxpayers over $50,000 each year for each person who is locked up. (California $)
farther down the rabbit hole, every state should announce free one-way bus tickets to kalipornia for all their scum
Which raises the question in my mind: How much can these petty criminals steal in a year?
Can someone shoplift $50,000 worth of merchandise in a year? I suspect they can — and will.
Maybe this will lead to strengthened Castle Doctrines in CA. Just a hope.
Yes someone probably could shoplift that much. But most I think do not. And the law says they can still be charges with a felony and imprisoned if they do
Is this satire?
Felony means giving up voting rights until penalty paid. I guess they cannot have them not voting that long? They’ll never pay up for misdemeanors, and/or are not likely to be prosecuted.
I support the measure. We should reserve jail for only the most serious crimes.
For every one else, I’d institute a work and restitution program.
We have way too many felonies.
California has a referendum provision in, I believe, our state constitution. Almost anything can be put up for a vote with enough qualifying signatures.
I’m sorry, but isn’t this the idea of Federalism? 50 experiments...some being warnings to the others.
IMHO, we need MORE like this...and more telling the Feds to F* off ala 9th/10th (at the minimum)
Citizens can always vote with their feet, just like Detroit.
Yes. Technically, citizen repeal of legislatively- enacted laws is called reforendum - and citizen writing of new state laws is called initiative. But yes it’s the same general idea.
California progressives introduced it in 1911.
People are just better at getting the job done than politicians.
Common sense is simply an idea whose time has come.
I agree that most of our elected representatives don’t do good work for us. And I agree that we are probably going to have more and more direct citizen lawmaking as elected officials keep screwing us ( and the internet technology will further facilitate this ). But our Founders gave us a representative system of govt - they very deliberately avoided giving us a democracy as they distrusted the masses and feared creating a tyranny of the majority. So, I’m of two minds about this. ( hey , that means I can vote twice!?)
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