Three Cheers for Prop 47!
Californians Vote To Reduce Sentences For Minor Crimes
If you live in the State of California, you have no doubt been bamboozled with an onslaught of political ads for all the Propositions on the ballot at tomorrow’s election. One initiative that has received somewhat less coverage is Proposition 47, “Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties. Initiative Statute.” This Proposition, if enacted, will make certain drug and property crimes misdemeanors instead of felonies, greatly reducing the amount of incarceration required for such a conviction.
My suggestion is to VOTE YES ON PROP 47! Here’s why:
1. MONEY: Prop 47 will save us loads of money; according to the State website, savings would be “potentially in the high hundreds of millions of dollars annually.” There would be 3,000 fewer people who are convicted of low-level crimes sent to State Prison each year, along with thousands fewer sent to County Jail. So the financial benefit extends not only to the State, but also to Los Angeles County, which has long suffered from grave budget deficits.
2. CRIME PREVENTION: According to the State website, savings resulting from the measure will be “used to support school truancy and dropout prevention, victim services, mental health and drug abuse treatment, and other programs designed to keep offenders out of prison and jail.” In other words, instead of spending millions per year in locking people up, the State will have more money to invest in our youth and in programs that help keep them on the straight and narrow before they go down that dark path of drug abuse.
3. EXEMPTIONS: The Proposition does not apply to defendants who have a prior conviction for a “serious or violent crime” nor will it apply to sex offenders. So if you are concerned about drug dealers being put back on the street, chances are this law will not apply in that type of case. Also this proposition does not apply to crimes of violence against a person, so if someone is injured or killed during the commission of a crime, there would be no leniency given as a result of Prop 47.
Prop 47 would also allow those who are already incarcerated under the applicable sections of the penal code to petition for resentencing. This too would free up a huge amount of State funds to be re-appropriated to other areas in the State’s budget. Moreover, Prop 47 would allow those who have already served out their felony sentence to petition the court to have their felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor (and thereafter expunged), which would renew their voting rights and greatly increase employability.
Overall, Prop 47 seems like a great idea and I strongly encourage all Californians to vote YES ON PROPOSITION 47!
For more specifics on Prop 47, see: http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/propositions/47/analysis.htm
See also: http://www.prop47impacts.org
For more information on the other ballot initiatives, see: http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/propositions/
My suggestion is to VOTE YES ON PROP 47! Here’s why:
1. MONEY: Prop 47 will save us loads of money; according to the State website, savings would be “potentially in the high hundreds of millions of dollars annually.” There would be 3,000 fewer people who are convicted of low-level crimes sent to State Prison each year, along with thousands fewer sent to County Jail. So the financial benefit extends not only to the State, but also to Los Angeles County, which has long suffered from grave budget deficits.
2. CRIME PREVENTION: According to the State website, savings resulting from the measure will be “used to support school truancy and dropout prevention, victim services, mental health and drug abuse treatment, and other programs designed to keep offenders out of prison and jail.” In other words, instead of spending millions per year in locking people up, the State will have more money to invest in our youth and in programs that help keep them on the straight and narrow before they go down that dark path of drug abuse.
3. EXEMPTIONS: The Proposition does not apply to defendants who have a prior conviction for a “serious or violent crime” nor will it apply to sex offenders. So if you are concerned about drug dealers being put back on the street, chances are this law will not apply in that type of case. Also this proposition does not apply to crimes of violence against a person, so if someone is injured or killed during the commission of a crime, there would be no leniency given as a result of Prop 47.
Prop 47 would also allow those who are already incarcerated under the applicable sections of the penal code to petition for resentencing. This too would free up a huge amount of State funds to be re-appropriated to other areas in the State’s budget. Moreover, Prop 47 would allow those who have already served out their felony sentence to petition the court to have their felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor (and thereafter expunged), which would renew their voting rights and greatly increase employability.
Overall, Prop 47 seems like a great idea and I strongly encourage all Californians to vote YES ON PROPOSITION 47!
For more specifics on Prop 47, see: http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/propositions/47/analysis.htm
See also: http://www.prop47impacts.org
For more information on the other ballot initiatives, see: http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/propositions/
Juror #5 has been described as being a particularly attentive juror who took copious notes throughout the trial. So what did this errant Arias juror do? She made statements that showed bias, or her inability to be impartial, in the presence of other jurors. The records are sealed, so we are left to fill in the blanks as to what was actually said. (At least until the gag order is lifted and Juror #5 releases her “exclusive” interview with every news station that will take her.) Anyway, Judges are not quick to dismiss jurors, especially those who have already spent three months serving on a long cause trial. In other words, Juror #5’s statements must have been pretty egregious to have led to such a ruling.