Criminal Justice

Californians deserve to live in safe neighborhoods. We must be tough, smart and just when dealing with crime, starting with prevention and through punishment and rehabilitation efforts.  We are determined to put an end to family violence and gang activity, drug and alcohol addition, unemployment, poverty and racism. We are dedicated to ensuring that our criminal justice system provides fair and equitable treatment for all. 

To promote safe communities, California Democrats will:

• Provide state-of-the-art equipment and training in the latest crime fighting techniques;
• Enhance victim-witness advocacy that respects the rights of crime victims and provides therapeutic assistance and financial compensation;
• Strictly enforcing the existing penalties for all violent crimes, especially those against women, children, the elderly and disabled, and support comprehensive services for victims of crime;
• Support the establishment of a bipartisan sentencing commission to review inequitable sentencing laws;
• Reduce prison overcrowding and the drain on our economy by decreasing penalties for minor drug offenses and other victimless crimes, making the punishment fit the crime;
• Implement community-based policing to break down barriers between law enforcement officers and the people they serve, and to curtail police misconduct;
• Promote responsible gun ownership and reasonable gun safety and work with gun owners and sporting associations to promote gun safety education;
• Continue the efforts to keep guns out of the hands of children and criminals;
• Continue to support the common sense ban on deadly assault weapons;
• Prosecute white-collar criminals and improve methods for recovering financial losses;
• Protect consumers against identity theft and violations of privacy to ensure they know what personal information is collected by businesses and government (such as social security numbers, financial data, phone numbers, street and email addresses) and how that information is used;
• Implement legal protection from unsolicited and unwarranted commercial phone calls, faxes and email spam;
• Employ DNA testing when appropriate to ensure that innocent people are not convicted and guilty people are not set free;
• Prohibit the use of so-called "secret evidence" in courts and tribunals;
• Challenge the practice of racial profiling;
• Strive for a state prison system that promotes inmate rehabilitation, education, and job readiness; and
• Promote dialog that examines the inequity between public school funding and prison expansion in California, and support efforts to address high school dropout rates.