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California Voters Defelonized Nonviolent Drug Possession and Other Low-Level Crimes

Prop 47 passes in California

(SACRAMENTO) - Proposition 47, the ballot measure to defelonize minor drug possession and other low-level nonviolent crimes passed easily tonight, with the San Francisco Chronicle calling the race within an hour of the polls closing, despite dismal voter turnout in the state.

The initiative will treat certain crimes as simple misdemeanors, reducing the future prison population and authorizing resentencing for those currently incarcerated for these offenses if they prove they are no longer a threat to public safety