Prop. would reduce prison crowding

With voting season underway, it is important to get involved and vote on the issues that will improve and benefit our public.

Proposition 47 will change the lowest-level, nonviolent crimes — such as drug possession for personal use and petty theft under $950 — from felonies to misdemeanors. With these changes, the state could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and the savings would be required to go toward supporting K-12 truancy and dropout prevention, mental health treatment and victim services.

Proposition 47 has the potential to change our justice system for the better.

It is a known fact that prisons are overcrowded — and this measure will relieve the congested cells of those incarcerated people that pose no threat to public safety. Sadly, those incarcerated for low-level nonviolent crimes are disenfranchised in the community and are denied the most basic human rights — such as employment and housing — basically preventing them from growing as productive citizens.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, it costs about $47,000 annually to incarcerate someone in California — while California is notoriously one of the lowest per-pupil spending states in the nation (only embarrassing that California is more concerned with locking up minor offenders instead of giving more support to the education system.

When given the opportunity to better the state’s suffering education system, why not take it?

Rather than spend unnecessary money on petty crimes, we should be in favor of Proposition 47 and the benefits that come from it.

Proposition 47 can improve public safety and the California education system.

It’s time to reevaluate and reprioritize what is important in our state instead of focusing on frivolous convictions.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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