PROP 20—CRIMINAL SENTENCING, PAROLE, AND DNA COLLECTION—VOTE NO

27 Oct PROP 20—CRIMINAL SENTENCING, PAROLE, AND DNA COLLECTION—VOTE NO

By Community Coalition’s Member-Led Political Education Committee:
Ana Carrion
Minzita Fernandez
Atala Giraldo
Jairo Giron
Rodrigo Moreno
Maria Rutledge
Pastor Byron Smith
Joy Stalworth
Christina Starks
Latia Suttles
Cordie Williams-Moss

Prop 20 attempts to dramatically transform the criminal justice system by: 

• Creating new crimes (like organized retail theft),
• Reclassifying certain misdemeanors as felonies (thereby undoing Prop 47),
• Forcing parole boards to take more factors into consideration when deciding whether or not to grant parole, such as a person’s attitude about the crime (thereby undoing Prop 57),
• Making it mandatory for state/local agencies to collect DNA samples for certain crimes, like domestic violence or retail theft, and
• Obligating probation/parole department to send someone currently on parole or probation back to jail or prison for any violation of their parole/probation,

Analysis

A “yes” vote: Will support this initiative to add crimes to the list of violent felonies for which early parole is restricted; recategorize certain types of theft and fraud crimes as wobblers (chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies); and require DNA collection for certain misdemeanors.

A “no” vote: Opposes this initiative to add crimes to the list of violent felonies for which early parole is restricted; recategorize certain types of theft and fraud crimes as wobblers (chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies); and require DNA collection for certain misdemeanors.

Political Education Committee Member Joy Stalworth Explains Why She’s Voting “No” on Prop 20

Why Does It Matter To South LA?

Negative Impacts: Creates new crimes that would give law enforcement a new reason to pull over, stop, and detain Black and Brown people. This would increase the number of interactions law enforcement has in communities, and the chances of police abuse, corruption, murders, arrests, and violence which in turn brings trauma to communities, entraps people in unbreakable cycles of poverty, and makes it harder to achieve true racial justice.

Reclassifies certain misdemeanors as felonies would undo Prop 47, which classified some nonviolent felonies as misdemeanors. The outcome of Prop 47 was thousands of incarcerated folks were released. Prop 20, therefore, would directly result in thousands of folks being incarcerated. Prison and jail populations will go up, meaning local sheriff budgets will go up, and the incarceration rate would also increase. People from our community would be thrown in jail/prison.

Forces parole boards to take more factors into consideration when deciding whether or not to grant parole, such as a person’s attitude about the crime would undo Prop 57. Prop 57 increased the chances someone would be granted parole by giving folks “credits” for the time they had served. With Prop 20, it will be a lot harder for folks to be granted parole since their parole boards would have to look at factors they weren’t already looking into. People who are currently incarcerated will be locked up for longer periods of time. This would increase sheriff budgets, increase the number of folks locked up, and would legitimize the idea that prisons and jails are needed.

Obligates probation/parole department to send someone currently on parole or probation back to jail or prison for any violation of their parole/probation – this will make it a lot easier for parole/probation officers to lock folks back up for anything they consider a violation. This will lead to more people being locked up, which will also lead to sheriff budget increases. 

Overall, Prop 20 would increase law enforcement/jail/prison budgets by a total of about $1.2 billion. More folks would be locked up, prison/jail populations would increase, our community will be criminalized more since cops will have more reasons to stop people, and money that could be spent on things like education, housing, and workers’ rights would instead be used to criminalize and punish people. It would also legitimize the idea that we need law enforcement, jails, and prisons as “solutions” to crime. Prop 20 attempts to take justice reform efforts 10 steps back.