New Report by For The People is First to Measure Results of Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the national nonprofit For The People has released its 2021 data report, which for the first time reveals the current impact and projected expansion of Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing (PIR). Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing is the process pioneered by For The People that allows prosecutors to look back at and remedy unjust, excessive sentences. The new report shows how Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing can help safely reduce mass incarceration, redirect cost savings to community resources, enhance public safety, and mitigate racial disparities.

In 2018, For The People conceptualized and helped pass the first PIR law in the country with AB 2942 in California—now replicated in Washington State, Oregon, and Illinois. Thanks to this innovation, more than 100 people have safely returned home to their families and communities in California.

Through expert analysis of prison data, For The People's landmark report looks at how specific policies led to mass incarceration in California, reviews data-driven evidence in support of releasing people who no longer need to be incarcerated, examines the opportunity for communities to benefit from PIR, and shares the real impacts of resentencing on people who have already been released. Finally, the report offers recommendations on implementation and opportunities for further reform—both for prosecutors and policymakers.

Key report findings include:

• Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing can help mitigate racial disparities in California prisons, where 80% of those incarcerated are people of color.
• CA will spend $871 million in 2022 to house 8,465 people in prison who have served at least 10 years of their sentence. The State can redirect cost savings from incarceration to more effective resources ensuring community safety, such as trauma recovery, substance abuse treatment, and childcare.
• Nearly half (46%) of people in CA prisons have served a significant amount of their sentence (10 years).
• Based on expert analysis of recent prison data, For The People projects that 26,000 people could be safely released from California prisons over time through Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing (PIR).
• Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing has helped safely release more than 100 people in California to date, with hundreds of cases under review.

The report also shares stories of those returning to their communities to give back, including Isaiah Love in San Jose, Alwin Smith in Riverside, and Dean Thomas in Sacramento.

"In prison, you really have nobody advocating for you," said Alwin Smith, who was released through PIR, "so when you see people like this advocating for you, it's very emotional. My sentence was 40-to-life. Being resentenced was like coming up from underwater or having a heavy weight finally lifted off your shoulders." Today, Mr. Smith is fully employed, proudly substance-free, and interns at a church to provide resources for people who are homeless.

Additionally, insights from the following prosecutors across California are included throughout the report: DA Jeff Reisig in Yolo County, DA Jeff Rosen in Santa Clara County, DA Maggie Fleming in Humboldt County, DA Chesa Boudin in San Francisco County, and Assistant DA Dwain Woodley in San Diego County.

"Nearly three years ago, we celebrated the first Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing law in the country going into effect with AB 2942," said Hillary Blout, Founder and Executive Director at For The People. "As a former Assistant District Attorney, I knew it would take a unique partnership and collaboration to make this law successful. After three years of incredible work with prosecutors, community leaders, and public defenders, we can finally showcase the fruits of our labor. This report is only the beginning of an innovation that is already spreading across the country to review thousands of excessive prison sentences. We can't wait to see what's next."

Read the full report and the executive summary here, and find out more about For The People's work at fortheppl.org.

ABOUT FOR THE PEOPLE

For The People is a national nonprofit that activates the power of prosecutors to remedy excessive sentences. In 2018, the organization's founder Hillary Blout conceptualized and worked to pass the nation's first ever Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing Law, AB 2942 in California. Now, For The People partners with more than a dozen elected prosecutors' offices across the country to increase adoption of Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing, providing policy and technical assistance nationwide. For The People works with prosecutors, system-impacted people, community organizations, and other system stakeholders to reunite families and restore communities that have been decimated by mass incarceration. To learn more, visit fortheppl.org.

SOURCE For The People