Prop. 47

Criminal Sentences

The Question

• Should the penalties for certain offenders convicted of non-serious, nonviolent crimes be reduced from felonies to misdemeanors?

The situation

• Felony is the most serious crime.• Some crimes, labeled as “wobblers” can be

classified as either a misdemeanor or a felony (e.g. check forgery, non-violent drug crimes).

What Prop. 47 would do

• Reduce the penalty for most nonviolent wobblers and felonies to misdemeanors, unless the defendant has prior convictions for violent and serious crimes.

• Permit resentencing for anyone currently serving a prison sentence for any of the offenses reclassified in Prop. 47

Effects

• Several hundreds of millions would be saved annually.

• Thousands of prisoners would be released from jail.

For

Against

Arguments

For• Prop. 47 will reduce prison

spending and waste on low-level nonviolent crimes. Law enforcement resources will be focused on violent and serious crimes.

• Savings will be redirected from prison spending to K-12 school programs, assistance for victims of crime, mental health programs, and drug treatment.

Against• Prop. 47 will release

thousands of dangerous inmates.

• It will overcrowd the justice system with resentencing hearings.