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That sounds more like a problem with the police, and not a problem with the law.
by dv_dt 8y ago
That sounds more like a problem with the police, and not a problem with the law.
- fludlight 8y agoIt's a problem with the law. Prop 47, specifically. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_47_(2014) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_47_(201...
- openasocket 8y agoA misdemeanor can still result in up to 12 months of jail time, though...
- Consultant32452 8y agoOn paper, I would agree with you that up to 12 months of jail time for a relatively minor crime like shoplifting is reasonable. In practice, it appears the result of the new law is that the police don't bother showing up and property crime essentially isn't enforced.
- Retra 8y agoFor an adult, that sounds reasonable. For a child, you're stealing actual brain development and enculturation time.
- pnw_hazor 8y agoProsecutors decide whether to charge. Cops quickly learn that arresting people that will not be charged is a waste of their time. Seattle has a similar policy. Property crimes are not enforced.
- dv_dt 8y agoOk this still seems like a problem with enforcement and not with the law. We should not need increased sentences simply to get police protection from nuisance behavior. Undue inflation of consequences for smaller crimes has many negative side effects for our society - including increased cost of incarceration and long-term negative productivity of citizens. This is why these crimes were reduced in their sentencing - it seems like enforcement needs to catch up on a new balance.
- vkou 8y agoIf the police really wanted to deal with property crime, they'd go after the pawn shops and the fences, and the scrappers buying stolen copper. No, that wouldn't stop people stealing things for their own use, but it would hit the professional thieves hard.
- wahern 8y agoA robbery ring was recently broken where their M.O. was to ship stolen laptops off to Vietnam. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Fremont-Detectives-Bust-International-Theft-Ring-With-Millions-in-Stolen-Electronics-472047833.html Perhaps local fences still matter a great deal, but it seems like they're becoming increasingly less important.
- michaelmrose 8y agoI don't think Seattle has any such policy. Can you back this up?