1 year ago
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TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — In conscionable the fewer weeks since mid-December erstwhile Proposition 36 went into effect, Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said helium and his squad of prosecutors person already filed charges connected 13 defendants for felony theft that would person been a misdemeanor antecedently and 12 defendants for felony cause possession.
"The gig is up. You know, I don't mean to beryllium flippant astir it, but the world is, you know, we person filed felony charges connected radical that would different person conscionable been cited and released connected a misdemeanor petty theft," Ward said.
Ward said this is what the radical want. California voters said "yes" to November's ballot measurement connected Prop 36, which reverses important parts of Proposition 47.
Prop 36 lets prosecutors record felony charges for possessing definite drugs if defendants person 2 erstwhile cause convictions and lets them bash the aforesaid for thefts nether $950 besides if the suspect has 2 anterior theft convictions.
Ward said it besides allows for a amended way for cause treatment, thing helium says radical were not encouraged to bash nether Prop 47. He said if the attraction is not completed, they would inactive look situation time.
"We had radical dying successful our sidewalks crossed our authorities and we were turning a unsighted oculus to it. So, I deliberation Prop 36 was a precise compassionate look astatine that facet of Prop 47," Ward added.
However, Fresno country transgression defence lawyer David Mugridge disagrees. He said Prop 36 does thing to get to the basal origin of transgression and is acold from compassionate.
"It's casual to say, yeah, let's beryllium pugnacious connected crime, but we've lone got truthful galore beds successful a prison," Mugridge said.
He thinks the greater punishments volition bash small to deter shoplifters and yet volition conscionable battalion much radical into California's prisons.
"Proposition 36 was a result, I think, of a batch of radical that were precise acrophobic due to the fact that it seemed to them similar radical were moving into the store each different time and committing caller crimes and determination was thing to halt them," helium added.
Ward said helium wants the concern assemblage to cognize to telephone constabulary if they person issues with shoplifters, and the proposition allows for amended protections for store owners who privation to support repetition offenders retired of their stores.
