Grassroots non-profit Canvass for a Cause, in conjunction with the Black Students Justice Coalition, has launched a letter writing campaign this week to engage the San Diego community in pressuring District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to honor Proposition 47 and release nonviolent offenders whose offenses have been reclassified under the new law.
In the fall, Canvass for a Cause lobbied for Proposition 47 and helped it to pass with 59.6 percent of the vote. Proposition 47, or the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, reduces sentencing for low-level nonviolent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors and reallocates $150-$250 million annually to K-12 schools, mental health programs, drug treatment and victims’ services.
The law is intended to reprioritize education and crime prevention instead of putting low-level nonviolent criminals in prison. It comes as California spends $62,000 annually to incarcerate each inmate and only $9,200 to educate each public school student.
Now, nearly 18,000 petitions have been filed by the San Diego District Attorney’s office to have their clients’ offenses resentenced under Proposition 47. According to Canvass for a Cause District Attorney Dumanis has been stalling as long as she can on processing these petitions.
“This is a direct violation of [Dumanis’] duty to uphold the will of the voters and the California Constitution,” said Rachel Scoma, Canvass for a Cause’s attorney.
“The Proposition 47 petitions are not random letters from the public to be read at the District Attorney’s leisure,” said Mark Jones, leader of the Black Students Justice Coalition. “They represent the lives of individuals that should not have been incarcerated in the first place. The office of the District Attorney should be held accountable for the timely filing and release of all those who are still incarcerated and affected by Proposition 47.”
Jones spoke with District Attorney Dumanis about how the communities affected the most by incarceration can hold the D.A.’s office accountable. According to Jones, Dumanis said there was no means of accountability.
