California experienced an increase in violent crimes of 6.7%, homicides of 9.1%, and rape incidences of 8.6% in 2021 compared to the previous year. This Democrat-led state is obviously having trouble keeping lawbreakers under check, especially in light of the fact that many progressives advocate for criminal justice reform to lower the number of people in jail.
To decrease the amount of violent instances, state GOP lawmakers introduced a bill, but a powerful Democrat blocked it. The plan would have increased the penalties for sexual assault and human trafficking.
Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D), the chairman of the Public Safety Committee in the California Assembly, voted in favor of AB229 in mid-March, which would define convictions for certain sex crimes, domestic abuse, and human trafficking as violent felonies. This would require third-time offenders to serve at least 25 years in prison for such heinous crimes.
Although the measure had the support of two Republicans, their votes were insufficient to move it from the committee to the full legislative assembly.
Jones-Sawyer claimed that the proposed legislation, with which he opposed, reclassified non-violent offences and even misdemeanors broadly.
Because it would “revive a version of the three-strikes mentality of mass incarceration,” which he considers to be “a failed policy,” he advised against such a move.
The top California Democrat remained silent regarding the fact that convictions for domestic abuse are closely related to mass shootings. Republicans have emphasized that the number of mass shootings may be reduced if more offenders with a history of such violence were locked up.
My latest column: This week, CA Democrats killed a GOP bill to increase penalties for domestic violence, human trafficking & other sex crimes.
— Emily Hoeven (@emily_hoeven) March 18, 2023
Moments later, they approved a Dem bill to impose sentence enhancements on theft of property above $275k. https://t.co/U6Rw4AZ6UI
Emily Hoeven drew attention to the progressive hypocrisy of opposing legislation that would increase the punishment for forceful sex offenses while being willing to increase the prison term for those who stole items worth more than $275,000.
Hoeven criticized the Left for sending “a clear message that bills are judged not by their content but by their author — and that some types of victims matter more than others,” emphasizing that the party attempting to reform the criminal justice system must “be consistent” and “allow a wider swath of ideas to be robustly debated.”
