Proposition 47: Reducing low-level felonies and the California prison population

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Proposition 47, also known as the Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative, will be on the ballot Nov. 4. The initiative, if approved, will reduce "nonserious and nonviolent property and drug crimes" from a felony to a misdemeanor.

The prison population in California is consistently one of the largest in the country and overcrowding is a serious issue. Prisons are packed to nearly twice their intended capacity, resulting in poor health care. Courts ruled in 2009 that California must lower its prison population by 2016, a deadline that has been extended several times.

This initiative could be a solution to this problem, preventing new low-level offenders from being put behind bars and potentially resentencing about 10,000 inmates. Annenberg Radio News' Belinda Cai reports.