Posts tagged California
Gavin Newsom wants to close a California state prison. It won’t be easy

“Closing a state prison is one of the few ways to truly save a lot of money in California’s correctional system, which has a budget of $15.8 billion this year, experts said. A closure also would represent a step toward rehabilitation and away from incarceration in the state’s criminal justice system, since it likely would involve releasing some low-risk inmates. But, as Newsom underscored with his choice of words to the editorial board, it’s difficult.“

Sacramento Bee

November 24, 2019

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State ReformsPhillip ReevesSacramento Bee, California, Gavin NewsomComment
How Far Will California Take Criminal-Justice Reform?

“San Francisco is a city whose electorate skews and is easily skewered as radical-fringe left, but where law-enforcement practices nonetheless follow the same disturbing pattern of brutality seen in the rest of the state. Boudin’s candidacy, which calls for to-the-studs reform, evokes Larry Krasner, the former civil-rights attorney who is now the D.A. of Philadelphia, and Tiffany Cabán, a young public defender in Queens, endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who ran for D.A. of the borough this year. In San Francisco, even moderates run as progressives, but Boudin has a particular moral authority that lies in his own story.“

The New Yorker

October 5, 2019

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State ReformsPhillip ReevesThe New Yorker, Chesa Boudin, San Francisco, CaliforniaComment
Editorial: Police, prosecutors and courts are keeping California’s criminal justice data a secret

“Assembly Bill 1331, whose fate now rests with Newsom, would close some of the current gaps in criminal history records by tightening reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies and courts. It would require release of anonymized information to research agencies, which would then be able to sift through data to discover trends or biases. It would promote better and faster sharing of information among public agencies.“

LA Times

September 23, 2019

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State ReformsPhillip ReevesLA Times, California, Assembly Bill 1331Comment
Once known for 'three strikes' law, California is now embracing criminal justice reform

“Asia and her mother shared their stories with California lawmakers this year, in support of a Senate Bill 394, which enables parents and primary caregivers for a child under the age of 18 who are charged with nonviolent felonies and misdemeanors to opt into programs instead of imprisonment.  It is one of several newly passed criminal justice reform bills now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature.  Others include: Senate Bill 136, which puts an end to sentence enhancements that automatically add an extra year for anyone convicted of recommitting a felony for which they had already served time. AB 1331, which will increase research and improve record-keeping in the criminal justice system. AB 32, which effectively ends the era of California’s reliance on private, for-profit prisons, including ICE detention centers.“

USA Today

September 18, 2019

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State ReformsPhillip ReevesUSA Today, CaliforniaComment
Kamala Harris' New Book Tries to Massage Her Record as a Prosecutor, But the Facts Aren't Pretty

“Likely 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D–Calif.) released a new memoir this week. In The Truths We Hold, Harris touts her record as a "progressive prosecutor," but the book glosses over numerous instances where her office defended prosecutorial misconduct.“

Reason Magazine

January 9, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesReason Magazine, Kamala Harris, CaliforniaComment
Why Aren’t Democratic Governors Pardoning More Prisoners?

“Governors in most states have the power to pardon or commute sentences, either at their sole discretion or with some level of input from a commission. Since most convictions occur at the state level, some governors can wield even greater influence on criminal justice than the president can. But most governors rarely use this power, and few have made it a mainstay of their tenure in office—a major missed opportunity for justice and the public good.“

The New Republic

January 4, 2019

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Personalism, State ReformsPhillip ReevesThe New Republic, California, MichiganComment
The Myth That Crime Rises as Prisons Shrink

“Our research found that the proposition had no appreciable impact on crime in the year following its enactment. Specifically, it had no effect on rates of homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery or burglary. Larceny and motor-vehicle thefts did seem to have increased moderately after Prop 47 went into effect, but these results were both sensitive to small changes in our modeling and small enough that we cannot rule out spuriousness.“

Governing Institute

September 11, 2018

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Mass Incarceration, State ReformsPhillip ReevesGoverning Institute, California, Prop 47Comment
Here's how California became the most secretive state on police misconduct

"But this year, a group of California legislators is confronting police unions in ways once unthinkable. They argue the organizations are out of touch with public sentiment over how officers use force and interact with communities of color. The shift comes amid the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter and criminal justice reform movements."

LA Times

August 15, 2018

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Police ViolenceAnthony BradleyLA Times, California, Black Lives Matter
No, Prop 47 didn't de-criminalize misdemeanors

"The idea behind Proposition 47, which passed by a wide margin in 2014, was to reduce certain non-violent, non-serious felonies to misdemeanors in order to ensure that the resources of the criminal justice system are more wisely allocated, and that prison and jail beds are reserved for the offenders who are the greatest risks to cause harm if they are left at liberty."

LA Times

July 18, 2018

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State ReformsAnthony BradleyLA Times, California, Prop 47