Prop 47

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Referendum; Initiative Statute

• Common Name

  Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act

• Date Passed

  2014-11-04

• Jurisdiction

  California, United States

• Primary Goal

  Reclassify certain nonviolent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors

• Official Name

  Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties. Initiative Statute

• Secondary Goal

  Address prison overcrowding

• Alternative Name

  Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative

• Affected Crimes (Drug)

  Possession of most illegal drugs (below certain weight threshold)

• Affected Crimes (Property)

  Shoplifting (value < $950), Grand theft (value < $950), Receiving stolen property (value < $950), Forgery (value < $950), Fraud (value < $950), Writing a bad check (value < $950)

• Savings Allocation (K-12 Schools)

  25%

• Savings Allocation (Victim Services)

  10%

• Petition Deadline for Reclassification

  2022-11-04

• Savings Allocation (Mental Health/Substance Use)

  65%

• Estimated State Savings (2 years post-implementation)

  $800 million

• Incarceration Reduction (2 years post-implementation)

  Approximately 13,000 prisoners (jail and prison population)

Timeline

• A federal court order mandates California to reduce its institutional prison population due to severe overcrowding and unconstitutional conditions, setting the stage for criminal justice reforms like Proposition 47. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2009

• Proposition 47 (Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act) is passed by California voters, reclassifying certain nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Web Search Results)

  2014-11-04

• The deadline for individuals to file petitions to reclassify past felony convictions under Proposition 47 passes. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2022-11-04

• Proposition 36 is passed by California voters, partially repealing Proposition 47 and reversing some of its effects, a move opposed by Governor Gavin Newsom. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Related Documents)

  2024

2014 California Proposition 47

Proposition 47, also known by its ballot title Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties. Initiative Statute, was a referendum passed by voters in the state of California on November 4, 2014. The measure was also referred to by its supporters as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. It recategorized some nonviolent offenses as misdemeanors rather than felonies, as they had previously been categorized. The crimes affected were: Shoplifting, where the value of property stolen does not exceed $950 Grand theft, where the value of the stolen property does not exceed $950 Receiving stolen property, where the value of the property does not exceed $950 Forgery, where the value of forged check, bond or bill does not exceed $950 Fraud, where the value of the fraudulent check, draft or order does not exceed $950 Writing a bad check, where the value of the check does not exceed $950 Possession of most illegal drugs, below a certain threshold of weight The proposition was partly repealed by Proposition 36 in 2024.

Web Search Results

• The Impact of California's Proposition 47 (The Reduced Penalties for ...

  California’s Proposition 47 (also known as “the Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative,” “Prop 47,” and “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act”) is a front-end reform passed by voters in November 2014 that downgraded a range of drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. “Front end” policies are ones that affect the flow of individuals into justice system custody by reducing punishments, downgrading certain offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, legalizing some types of [...] In addition to defelonizing drug possession, California’s Prop 47 also classifies five property offenses for which the dollar value is less than $950 as misdemeanors: 1) theft, 2) receiving stolen property, 3) shoplifting, 4) check forgery, and 5) writing bad checks. Before passage of the proposition, these offenses could be charged as either felonies or misdemeanors. [...] The goals of Prop 47 are to concentrate prison spending on the most violent and serious offenses; to maximize alternatives for nonserious, nonviolent crimes; to invest the savings generated from the proposition into community prevention programs; and to support recidivism reduction. ### Program Components Prop 47 implemented three changes to California’s felony sentencing laws:

• Proposition 47 FAQ - County of San Diego

  On November 4, 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47 (Prop. 47), a law that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors. Prop. 47 changed the law so that some low level, non-violent felonies can only be charged as misdemeanors for most people. Prop. 47 also allows most people who have qualifying felony convictions in their past to petition to reclassify those convictions to misdemeanors. Petitions must be filed no later than NOVEMBER 4, 2022. Back to top

• My Prop 47 - Prop. 47 is making a difference in the lives of ...

  On November 4, 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47, a law that changed certain low-level crimes from potential felonies to misdemeanors. The savings from reduced incarceration costs will be invested into drug and mental health treatment, programs for at-risk students in K-12 schools, and victim services. Learn More Stay Informed ### Watch: How Prop 47 Has Impacted California! # Resources ### Second Chances and Systems Change, How Proposition 47 is Changing California [...] # My Prop 47 # Proposition 47 Learn the history of the nation's largest record-change effort helping to end barriers for hundreds of thousands of Californians. Prop 47. # Change My Record If you have a low-level, nonviolent felony on your record, you may be able to reduce it to a misdemeanor under Prop. 47. # Video: How To Change Your Record Check out this animated video on the record change process. # San Joaquin Justice Fair [...] Spread the word about Proposition 47 in your community. ### Share My Story Proposition 47 is making a difference in the lives of Californians all over the state. Proposition 47 is making a difference in the lives of Californians all over the state. ## About Proposition 47

• 2014 California Proposition 47

  Proposition 47, also known by its ballot title Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties. Initiative Statute, was a referendum passed by voters in the state of California on November 4, 2014. The measure was also referred to by its supporters as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. It recategorized some nonviolent offenses as misdemeanors rather than felonies, as they had previously been categorized. The crimes affected were: The proposition was partly repealed by Proposition 36 in 2024. [...] Advocates of Proposition 47 underscored the importance of reallocating funds from incarceration to community-based treatment initiatives to decrease the likelihood of reoffending. Prop 47 dictates that 65% of the financial savings achieved by the state be directed toward mental health and substance use disorder treatment for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. The remaining funds are divided among K–12 schools (25%) and victim services (10%). The initial transfer of savings [...] Proposition 47 was introduced to address prison overcrowding, adopt alternative sentencing methods, and reduce nonviolent offense incarcerations. It reclassified specific offenses – including some theft offenses not previously addressed in AB2372 and certain drug-related charges – as misdemeanors, rather than felonies. It did not eliminate the prosecution of these offenses. Prior to the adoption of AB2372 and the proposition, many instances of shoplifting were treated as misdemeanors. Since

• Crime after Proposition 47 and the Pandemic

  Proposition 47 was part of California’s string of significant criminal justice reforms in the wake of a 2009 federal court order to reduce the state’s institutional prison population to 137.5 percent of design capacity—at the time equivalent to a reduction of almost 40,000 prisoners. The court order meant to address severe overcrowding and unconstitutionally poor prison conditions, including inadequate medical and mental health care. [...] PPIC has been examining the impact of Prop 47 on crime and aspects of criminal justice since soon after California implemented the reform. One of our prior research reports found evidence that Prop 47 led to an increase in some property crime (larceny). But existing research does not shed light on the specific changes associated with Prop 47 that might have contributed to this increase in larceny, or other crimes. In this report, we build on the existing work on Prop 47 and crime by examining [...] As intended, Prop 47 reduced incarceration in California. Two years after its implementation, California’s jail and prison population had dropped by about 13,000 and led to an estimated state savings of $800 million (funding a wide range of local-level programming), not including county savings from lower jail populations. The state and counties presumably saw even bigger savings on correctional spending from the large decline in the jail and prison population in the wake of the pandemic.