Are recent increases in crime stats linked to Prop 47?

ADELANTO, CA - NOVEMBER 15: A guard escorts an immigrant detainee from his 'segregation cell' back into the general population at the Adelanto Detention Facility on November 15, 2013 in Adelanto, California. Most detainees in segregation cells are sent there for fighting with other immigrants, according to guards. The facility, the largest and newest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), detention center in California, houses an average of 1,100 immigrants in custody pending a decision in their immigration cases or awaiting deportation. The average stay for a detainee is 29 days. The facility is managed by the private GEO Group. ICE detains an average of 33,000 undocumented immigrants in more than 400 facilities nationwide. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Since voters approved it during the November elections, law enforcement officials and public safety advocates all over the state have been trying to gauge the effect that Prop 47 has had on crime across the state.

Since voters approved it during the November elections, law enforcement officials and public safety advocates all over California have been trying to gauge the effect that Prop 47 has had on crime across the state.

Early numbers appear to show jumps in incidents of domestic violence and rape, but the reason why remains a mystery. While it’s impossible to say whether there is a direct connection between Prop 47 and the rise in crime statistics, there are certainly questions surrounding what role Prop 47 may (or may not) play.

What effect, if any, has Prop 47 had on the rise in crime statewide? Where is the state at in terms of developing programs designed to be alternatives to incarceration, which was part of the Prop 47 legislation?

Guests:

Bill Lansdowne, former chief of the San Diego Police Department, retired last year. He’s also been a police chief in San Jose and Richmond. Along with San Francisco district attorney George Gascón, Lansdowne was one of Prop 47’s official proponents.

David McGill, Deputy Chief of the Newport Beach Police Department and 2nd Vice President of the California Peace Officers’ Association.