Criminal justice policies have the potential to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities by imposing collateral consequences on those with criminal records, and by diverting public spending towards punitive programs rather than crime prevention and drug treatment.

Study Notes

Criminal justice policies have the potential to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities by imposing collateral consequences on those with criminal records, and by diverting public spending towards punitive programs rather than crime prevention and drug treatment.
One key development in this area is California's reclassification of a number of low-level offenses from felonies to misdemeanors under Proposition 47 in 2014. This initiative is intended to reduce prison admissions and to spare many low-level offenders the collateral consequences of a felony conviction.
The law also redirects a portion of state prison savings – estimated to be $150-$250 million annually – to crime prevention and drug treatment programs.