By Partner Bill Haney. The Ventura County Courthouse has been rocked by the Passage of Proposition 47. Today, prosecutors and defense attorneys scrambled to deal with the impact of the law. One public defender noted that SEVENTY PERCENT of the offices felony caseload might be reduced to misdemeanors. Some judges in Ventura County are immediately reducing sentences by operation of law. Others presently request petitions from defense counsel. All stakeholders in the criminal justice system are presently wrestling with the current value of a criminal case that has been reduced by operation of law to a misdemeanor. Behind the scenes, some judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys are reacting in shock to the impact of the law. It is expected that prosecutors will immediately train local police agencies to investigate commercial burglary and check forgery cases as Identity Theft violations (Penal Code Section 530.5), Conspiracy (Section 182; when 2 or more individuals are involved) and any other criminal offense that has not been altered by Proposition 47. Working as the President of Serving California, Partner Phil Dunn raised major funds and lobbied for Proposition 47 across the state.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 03:05:19 +0000
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