Stanislaus County Report Shows Impact of Prop 47

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. — Stanislaus County supervisors in January released a 17-page report outlining the impacts of Proposition 47 on the county’s law enforcement and detention activities. The proposition went into effect in November 2014 and was intended to decrease prison crowding by reclassifying certain felony crimes as misdemeanors, allowing some offenders with previous convictions to petition the court to reduce earlier sentences or clear their records.

Starting in November 2014 and measured through November 2015, the most immediate impact of Prop 47 was demonstrated by a significant reduction in arrests by local law enforcement, according to the report. Overall, average arrests in Stanislaus County dropped 16 percent when compared to the time period between January 2012 and October 2014. Overall cases reviewed by the district attorney also fell roughly 12 percent, while cases filed dropped by 6 percent. Felony case filings from the district attorney are down 30 percent; however, misdemeanor filings rose by 10 percent.

County public defenders have seen similar impacts. Overall, new cases assigned to public defenders have dropped 12 percent since Prop 47 was enacted. Felony cases have plummeted by 47 percent; however, a 41 percent increase was measured for new misdemeanors.

Another significant impact to both the district attorney and public defender offices has been the distribution of new misdemeanor and felony cases, according to the report. Prior to Prop 47, cases filed by the district attorney were approximately 59 percent misdemeanors and 41 percent felonies. Approximately 70 percent of post-Prop 47 filings are for misdemeanor cases and 30 percent for felonies.

Fewer new arrests and bookings have naturally impacted the county jail. The average percentage of sentence time served by jail inmates has increased from 33 percent to 54 percent, as decreased crowding has also lessened the need for early release. With fewer arrests and a change in early-release procedures, the average length of jail stay increased from 200 days to 243 days over the study period. This has had the added benefit of keeping inmates in necessary treatment and classes longer than would have otherwise been possible.

Meanwhile, the county also cited increased workloads for the offices of the public defender, district attorney and probation department as one “direct and immediate fiscal impact of Proposition 47.” Individuals filing new petitions seeking reductions in prior felony convictions to misdemeanors have resulted in approximately 3,700 adult and 50 juvenile cases being reduced (or considered for reduction) to misdemeanor status since the law’s passage. Despite the fact that related workloads have been partially offset by a drop in new cases entering the county’s criminal justice system, the spike in requests has forced the office of the public defender to hire a new contracted attorney.

Data from the sheriff and probation department also suggests that it’s premature to draw any conclusion regarding possible financial impacts felt by Prop 47, according to the report. However, the law was intended to at least generate savings at the state level as a result of the decreased prison population. Impacts to local jail systems were expected to vary and will be dependent on operational capacity, sentencing strategies and adjustments to local detention policies.