A decade ago, California voters passed Prop. 47 which reduced the punishment of simple drug possession and petty theft to misdemeanors, while raising the felony threshold from $400 to $950 for petty theft.
From the start, the measure passed by the voters has garnered criticism from law enforcement and other tough-on-crime groups and has been blamed for the rise in fentanyl use as well as a rash of high-profile retail thefts and smash and grabs.
However, as Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and 
Justice, the state’s leading public safety advocacy organization, told the Vanguard—this is a false narrative.
“The troubling incidents we’ve all seen on television like smash and grabs were not changed by Proposition 47, nor are they implicated by this attempted repeal,” she said in a recent statement.
Moreover, as discussed this week on Everyday Injustice—crime is down.
“Since Proposition 47 passed property crime is down, recidivism is down, and racial disparities in the justice system are down,” Hollins said.
Listen as Tinisch Hollins discusses Prop 47, efforts to roll it back, the future of criminal justice reform, and how efforts to reform the system actually lead to enhanced public safety.
