DA’s Office Responds to Passage Prop. 57

Del Norte County District Attorney

While it looks like Del Norte County narrowly said No to Prop. 57, it overwhelmingly passed statewide. The very people we work hard every day to protect and keep safe by keeping violent career criminals off the streets of California have just made our jobs much more difficult.

We will now have to deal with more violent career criminals more often. By the time my office deals with them, they will have already victimized people in our community. They will be emboldened knowing that for most state prison eligible offenses, including dozens that are “violent” notwithstanding the narrow Prop. 57 definition of that term, there is very little to risk in continuing their violent ways. California voters have made multiple counts for multiple crimes and victims, sentencing enhancements and criminal histories a thing of the past when it comes to parole eligibility.

California voters have just given career criminals volume discounts on their crimes. California voters have told criminals with 10 page RAP sheets that they will be parole eligible at the same time as first time offenders. California voters have now said that bureaucrats who do not live in our community and have never met our crime victims get to decide when offenders get released back into our community rather than our local judges who are in a far better decision to make those calls.