The California Public Safety Partnership (CAPSP) is fed up with the social-engineering experiments known as Props 47 & 57, and Assembly Bill 109.
The organization has submitted a statewide ballot initiative called the "Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018" to the Attorney General for a title and summary.
Michele Hanisee, President of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys and proponent of the new initiative says there will need to be 366,000 valid signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
She wants that number to hit 600,000 by the end of April 2018. CASP aims to qualify the initiative for the 2018 November general election.
In their current forms, the propositions allow for "non-violent" convicts to get out of jail with just a slap on the wrist.
The initiative also plugs a gaping hole in the state parole system that was created by AB 109, a 2011 law that eliminated a return to prison for parole violators.
Michele joined us today to talk about the reform initiative:
Please share information about the initiative with your family, friends, neighbors and on social media. Click here to like the California Public Safety Partnership Facebook Page. If you are a Twitter user, please use the CAPSP hashtag @CAsafety to help create viral support for our effort.
Prop 47
This was a 2014 proposition which reduced several felonies to misdemeanors. All thefts under $950 are now filed as misdemeanors, no matter how many times an individual is convicted.
As part of Prop 47, DNA collection for misdemeanors are also eliminated.
Several studies have shown that DNA collected from offenses like theft and drug crimes can help solve more serious crimes such as rape and murder.
The CAPSP initiative would restore DNA collection for these cases.
Prop 57
Passed in 2016, Prop 57 was touted as allowing early release for non-violent offenders. The proposition neglected a slew violent crimes, which the new initiative aims to rectify. This includes adding the following violent criminal offenses:
- Child trafficking for sex
- Rape of an unconscious person
- Domestic violence
- Assault of a peace officer
- Drive-by shooting
- Detonating a bomb with intent to injure
AB 109
Assembly Bill 109 establishes the California Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011 which allows for current non-violent, non-serious, and non-sex offenders, who after they are released from California State prison, are to be supervised at the local County level. Instead of reporting to state parole officers, these offenders are to report to local county probation officers.
Follow Michele Hanisee on Twitter @michele_hanisee.
Like the California Public Safety Partnership on Facebook @CAsafety.
Read the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018 at oag.ca.gov.