A coalition of crime victims, law enforcement, business owners and public safety leaders say they're working to place their new initiative on the ballot in order to fix a fatal flaw in Prop 57.
According to the group's website, the "Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018" would fix what they are calling a flaw in Prop 57's mandate to release only "non-violent" inmates. They say the proposition that passed last year, failed to define which crimes qualified as "non-violent" allowing for the release of several dangerous individuals.
A post on their website goes into several examples of violent criminals being released as part of Prop 57 - one such example being Jason Marcel McClain. He was sentenced to 10 years, 4 months in state prison in 2012 after he prevented his girlfriend from leaving their bedroom during an argument. According to court records, McClain slapped her across the face, choked her with both hands, placed scissors against her throat, and threatened to stab her. He then picked up a piece of a broken chair and threatened to beat her with it.
Thanks to Prop 57, McClain was approved for early release under a "non-violent" parole process.
The group says their new initiative will:
- Reclassify currently “non-violent” crimes like rape of an unconscious person, sex trafficking of a child and 14 other serious crimes as “violent” — to prevent the early release of inmates convicted of these crimes
- Reform the parole system to stop the early release of violent felons, expand parolee oversight, and strengthen penalties for parole violations
- Reform theft laws to restore accountability for serial thieves and organized theft gangs
- Expand DNA collection to include those convicted of drug, theft, domestic violence and other serious crimes to help solve rape, murder and other violent crimes — and to exonerate those wrongly accused
You can learn more about the group and their initiative at their website: www.KeepCalSafe.org.
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