Tag: reform

New Law Would Eliminate Bail

Written on January 22, 2019.

On August 28th of last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB10, better known as the bail reform bill, into law. Originally scheduled to go into effect in October 2019, the new law promises to transform conditions of pretrial release and is already being used in test programs in several counties. For example, Napa County has a similar system in place and has reported a lower rate of recidivism. Under current law, those facing misdemeanor charges are usually released on their own recognizance and...

Proposition 47 Becomes a Reality

Written on April 7, 2015.

Utilizing the initiative process, by obtaining the necessary number of registered voters signatures, the citizens of California enacted Proposition 47 by a vote of 58.5 to 41.5 percent signaling the intent on the part of California voters to allow for reclassification and resentencing of certain classes of criminal offenders. Proposition 47 follows on the heels of the Supreme Court’s 2011 decision in Brown v. Plata, “Proposition 47 is one of handful of legislative efforts to reform the...