Californians voted to pass Prop 47 and changed the penalties on several crimes from felony down to misdemeanors.\u00a0 The new mandates were pushed with the idea that it would help ease overcrowding and save the state millions in prosecuting \u201cpetty\u201d crimes.<\/p>\n

Sounds somewhat reasonable, however, Gov. Brown had already argued that he could not release anyone else from prison without letting out dangerous criminals. One must ask, how will passing a new law actually change these people into less of a threat to the public?<\/p>\n

The new guidelines are as follows:<\/p>\n

* having small amounts of concentrated cannabis, heroin, cocaine, meth, ecstasy, GHB or other illegal\/controlled substances will be a misdemeanor offense; possession will now be punishable with monetary fines and up to one year in local jail.<\/p>\n

* Theft of, purchasing, or hiding stolen goods with a value under $950.00 has been deemed a misdemeanor. This mandate raises the limit on agricultural theft, such as crops or goods, from $250 up to nearly $1000.<\/p>\n

* It is now a misdemeanor to pass insufficient checks or forgeries under $950.<\/p>\n

* Any shoplifting offense of less than $950 in now a misdemeanor as well.<\/p>\n

* Prop 47 also allows convicts, with up to three previous offenses that qualify, to petition to have their convictions reduced under the law.<\/p>\n

The idea here is that it separates the small petty crimes further from \u201cserious\u201d and violent crimes. Opponents argue that it lowers the deterrent to commit crime and we will see an increase in crime. Many small business owners worry about crime at the \u201cstreet level\u201d and what the trickle down effect will be.<\/p>\n

Many first time offenders could be hoping for a second chance and perhaps they will get it. If you combine the lesser conviction of a misdemeanor with the new laws stating that you cannot be forced to have a background check until you get past preliminary interview stages, this could be the perfect recipe for a fresh start.<\/p>\n

Questions about what applies to you and your employer? CALL United Employees Law Group NOW<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Californians voted to pass Prop 47 and changed the penalties on several crimes from felony down to misdemeanors.\u00a0 The new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[928,934],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-california-labor-law","category-job-hunt"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n