Thousands of Central Coast inmates petition for early release after passage of Prop. 47

Thousands of inmates on the Central Coast have applied to reduce their jail time, just one month after California voters passed Proposition 47. That’s the initiative that reduces penalties for drug possession and other nonviolent crimes.

San Benito County Sheriff Darren Thompson has seen it firsthand. Picture this – a drug user is arrested and rather than facing felony charges, the accused has the option to choose treatment over jail time.

“It was a great incentive for them to go into treatment,” said Sheriff Thompson. “The interruption of a short-term stay in jail was important to break up their drug-use cycle.”

But Thompson said that incentive is gone because of Proposition 47. A lot of drug users will be given a misdemeanor charge – that’s like getting a parking ticket, Thompson said.

“How many of those would choose treatment when incarceration is no longer something they’re facing?” said Thompson.

In San Benito County 35 inmates have been released – that’s roughly 22 percent of the jail’s population gone because of Prop. 47.

In Monterey County the District Attorney said in just a month,hundreds of inmates have petitioned to have their sentences reduced. In just one day, a prosecutor sifted through 50 cases specific to Prop. 47.

In Santa Clara County, 600 inmates are also eligible for release.

“Prop. 47 was labeled as a sentencing proposition. Really it was much deeper and broader than just that. It changed the classification of many crimes,” said Thompson.

Law enforcement agencies are still working to get their officers up to speed on what qualifies a felony now. For those who may have just graduated from the police academy, Prop. 47 will change much of what they just learned.