By C1 Staff
MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. — Jail officials in Mendocino County believe Proposition 47, recently passed by voters in November, may be the cause of a rise in not only inmates, but attacks on staff and contraband.
The Willits News reports that Prop 47, or the Safe Neighborhood Schools act, commutes or reduces felony sentences for some offenders. It was hoped the proposition would lower incarceration rates.
But in Mendocino County, Sheriff Tom Allman says he’s never seen so many people in the county jail.
“Those who were previously in jail for drug crimes are now coming back for property crimes,” Allman said.
“We will probably wait six or seven months to run some statistics to see what exactly the cause of the trend is,” he said. “A part of it is certainly related to the propositions.”
Another issue that might be leading to the higher incarceration rates is the lack of drug treatment options in the county. Offenders can now skip treatment options once part of felony sentences to get an earlier release.
Another proposition, Prop. 36, allowed offenders who committed non-violent drug crimes to receive probation, which also supported treatment instead of jail time. Some who went to treatment under Prop. 36 dropped out after Prop. 47 cleared them of their felonies.
“It was kind of a negative effect for those who were seeking treatment,” said Mendocino County Chief Probation Officer Buck Ganter.
State leaders have proposed modifications to Prop. 47, including allowing law enforcement to seek warrants for suspected crimes that were previously felonies but are now considered misdemeanors.
It’s unclear at this point how many of those who were released under Prop. 47 have reoffended.