A similar measure will be on the ballot in Massachusetts this fall, and other sentencing reform initiatives will appear in Utah and Oregon. That means less room for violent offenders and a consequent orgy of prison building. But he rejected the notion that Proposition 36 was soft on crime. Drug treatment is tougher on crime than jail is. This actually deals with the root cause of so much crime by individuals.
Rehabilitation can make people into taxpaying productive citizens rather than a drain on society.
Opponents of the initiative disagree. Drug addicts need to be held directly accountable by the court with real sanctions. Throughout the 1990s, the trend in California has been one of stricter penalties for criminals of all kinds. The state Legislature has passed a slew of tougher sentencing laws including minimum sentences for using a gun during a crime and additional penalties for drive-by shootings or shooting police officers. Attempts to amend the law to only cover violent felonies have routinely been shot down.