California State Auditor Recommends Stricter Penalties for Repeat Theft Offenders

At the request of the Legislature, the California state auditor studied the impact of reduced penalties for some crimes and recommended strengthening sentencing guidelines in a report released July 25. Other potential solutions identified include providing more money for educational, vocational, and behavioral health programs that address the root causes of recidivism. The auditor’s office looked at the impact of Proposition 47—passed by voters in 2014 to reduce prison populations by changing some drug and theft crimes, among others, from felonies to misdemeanors—in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Researchers looked at three metrics—arrests, law enforcement response times, and public calls for service. While no conclusions were drawn from the latter two indicators, arrests declined between 30 percent and 67 percent following the passage of Prop. 47....