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A new study released this week confirmed that arrest rates in California have declined sharply over the last 40 years. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this study goes along with the overall decline in crime around the state and country. However the study also confirms that the two recent reforms passed on California's criminal justice system are also playing a large part in the low number of arrests.
Public Policy Institute of California found that AB109 and Proposition 47, which are responsible for reducing many drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, have play a large part in why the arrest rates have dropped by 20%.
The laws “substantially reduced arrest rates in California above and beyond the contribution of changing crime rates,” the study’s authors wrote.
Sounds like to us that a lot of criminals are roaming the streets when they should be locked up. Of course the Democrats go with the story that arrests have critical impacts on people and can cause a person to deal with work and family consequences.
But what about the fact that a crucial part of public safety is taking the dangerous people off the streets?
It just doesn't make sense to us. It feels like this study is misleading the public that crime is down. It may be, but not nearly as much as we think.