By Sarah Chayet
SACRAMENTO, CA -The Prosecutors Alliance of California (PAC) has announced its support of a legislative package here in California directed at the outcomes of “organized retail theft, fentanyl distribution, thefts from automobiles, and related criminal activities.”
According to PAC’s report, the passing of the legislative package would create new policies for a rehabilitation-minded reaction to these pressing issues, calling for “the construction of new drug treatment facilities, (expansion of) reentry hubs, (increased) access to Medication Assisted Drug Treatment.”
The package would also require that drug treatment services be paid for by private health providers, said PAC in a statement.
On the other side of rehabilitation, PAC discussed how this legislation would affect the prosecution sphere, stating that “prosecutors will be able to prosecute car thefts more effectively, better address retail theft, and prosecute individuals who start fires to distract business owners and steal goods.”
This legislation comes as California struggles with a fentanyl crisis, notes a data report from the LA County Department of Public Health from 2023, citing “the overall number of accidental fentanyl overdose deaths in LAC has been increasing every year since routine testing began in May 2016…from 2016-2022, fentanyl overdose deaths in LAC increased 1,652 percent.”
PAC Founder and Executive Director Cristine Soto DeBerry emphasized her support of the legislative package in the PAC statement, arguing, “Rather than roll back the important reforms to our criminal justice system, this legislative package provides needed fixes to address evolving challenges in retail theft and the fentanyl crisis while continuing to invest in approaches that put people first.
“We are particularly pleased to see this package includes efforts to require online marketplaces to verify high-volume sellers to prevent the resale of stolen goods,” continued DeBerry. “We know that targeted approaches can reduce criminal behavior without filling our prisons and jails with low-level offenders who need treatment and community support,” DeBerry added,
In a separate press release from Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire’s office, the legislative package was named Working Together for a Safer California. Pro Tem McGuire stated the legislative package was “built upon months of research, input from stakeholders and experts, and feedback from Californians.”
The PAC press release concluded the new comprehensive legislative package “balances law enforcement measures with a commitment to addressing the root causes of criminal behavior…(PAC believes) that these proposed reforms will contribute to the safety and well-being of our communities, ensuring a more just and resilient society.”
