As stories of smash-and-grab robberies, thieves targeting media crews, and fatal shootings have filled headlines in recent months, two criminal prosecutors say some of this criminal activity may be the result of policy changes in California shifting from protecting victims to shielding suspects.
Over the past decade, California has implemented a number of criminal law reforms to reduce its prison population.
“We’ve got this bad combination of kind of flooding our communities with releases, you’ve got inadequate supervision, you’ve got inadequate plans for them, [and] inadequate rehabilitation,” said Anne Marie Schubert, district attorney for Sacramento County.
In May 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “the medical and mental health care provided by California’s prisons has fallen short of minimum constitutional requirements and has failed to meet prisoners’ basic health needs,” with overcrowding highlighted as the main cause….