New Facts and Figures on Prop. 47

FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — Under the controversial voter-approved Proposition 47, California’s prison and jail populations have been slashed by about 13,000 inmates.

According to Stanford Law School’s Justice Advocacy Project, which helped write the initiative that reclassifies certain drug and property crimes, the number of jail inmates released early to overcrowding is down by 35%.

Fewer than 5 percent of state inmates released early have been convicted of new crimes.

However, there are conflicting reports about the fiscal impact of Prop. 47, and law enforcement agencies continued to be concerned about public safety.