California voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 36, a "tough-on-crime" measure that increases penalties for theft and drug offenses, raising concerns that this will lead to higher incarceration rates. Funded by major retailers (i.e. Walmart, 7-Eleven, Home Depot), prosecutors, and law enforcement, Prop 36 undoes reforms from 2014’s Prop 47, which reduced penalties for low-level offenses and funded community programs instead.
Our Policy & Legal Services, J. Vasquez, warns that Prop 36 will worsen the cycle of incarceration, especially for vulnerable communities. “Whenever they do sentence enhancements, the ones who are primarily targeted are young Black and Brown people,”
Prop 36 allows longer sentences, a “three-strikes” rule for drug offenses, and mandates treatment programs, but lacks funding for these services. J cautions, “When you force someone to do treatment when they’re not ready, they’re less likely to do it… it leads to incarceration.” He adds, “California was trending in the right direction, but Prop 36 is going to take us back at least a decade.”
Real solutions lie in investing in mental health, job training, and community-based interventions, not punitive measures.
Read full article here: https://ow.ly/oKkc50U8mtm
via: Truthout
#ItTakesCURYJ #RehabilitationOverExploitation #InvoluntaryServitudeIsSlavery #NoExceptions #EndSlavery
