Offenders Say Prop 47 Could Help Them Change For Good

24-year-old Cameron Berg said he knows this routine very well.

“I’m here for court, I’m here for a drug offense,” Berg said as he walked into Department 3 at the Santa Maria Superior Court.

It begins with an arrest, followed by a few days in jail, then his release, and back to court. “Not everybody’s bad you know?” he said.

“They just have a problem,” This could change for him, and others like him who have similar offenses, because on Election Day, Voters approved Proposition 47.

Under the new law; shoplifting, forgery, certain drug offenses, fraud, petty theft, and possession of certain drugs such as cocaine and heroine, will be treated as misdemeanors and not felonies.

“It’s gonna give a chance to help the offender get the help he needs just instead of incarceration,” said Defense Attorney, Michael Clayton. Clayton has dealt with many cases just like Cameron Bergs.

“It’s gonna save, in the long run, millions of dollars to the tax payers,” he said. But, is the new law sending out the wrong message to criminals?

Some think, yes.

“If the goal of the criminal justice system is to encourage people to live law abiding lives and to protect the public from those who refuse to do so,” said Deputy District Attorney, Brooke Gerard.

“Then I don’t think this legislation is taking us in the right direction.” Gerard argues that taking away a more serious consequence, will encourage offenders to worsen their behavior because it takes away the incentive for them to get better.

“People who suffer from addiction often it takes a lot of incentive for them to come to the place where they’re willing to commit to a six month residential treatment program,” she said.

But, Berg disagreed. He said it was the frequent trips to jail that played a role in making his behavior worse.

“To be honest with you, I learned how to be more, conniving, more, like more angry,” he said about his times in jail.

“This doesn’t teach you how to think before you react,” he said. He said that with Prop 47 now approved, he hopes this will give him an opportunity to stay out of the court system for good.

Prop 47 is not aimed at protecting criminals who have prior convictions of: violent crimes, rape, murder, and certain sexual offenses.

It is aimed at helping those non-violent offenders who can’t stay out of the court system.