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Popping into the California Penal Code Revision Committee meeting, where they are addressing overcriminalization -- now attempting to figure out how to deal with the problem of Estes robberies.
They're calling Estes robberies crime of poverty, and they are looking at creating a new crime to limit exposure to draconian punishments bc the fact that any robbery is a strike limits their ability to reform.
Estes robberies typically happen when a person who is poor steals from a story and bumps into the security guard on the way out the door. This revision could reduce robbery charges and the maximum punishment for this crime of poverty.
I'm live-tweeting this and I probably should stop because they are deliberating. It's an interesting meeting, you can tune in here: http://clrc.ca.gov/CRPC/Meetings/Agenda.html
Prosecutors would retain ability to charge robbery if they can prove the circumstances in the slide. Many in law enforcement agree it's stupid to charge an Estes robbery as a felony bc most do not involve a weapon. The robbery statute is 150 years old.
Nancy Skinner is talking about how many people with mental illness get charged with Estes robberies because they're holding a stick and that gets treated like a weapon. They're deliberating whether to require the use of a deadly weapon and not merely being armed.
One common theme from this meeting is the consideration and weight given to language that is vague and frequently used by prosecutors and police to appeal to the emotions of the public without describing what really transpired. "Serious." "Aggravated."
People like @NancySkinnerCA and @LSongRichardson are both championing bold revisions to the penal code.
Here are the revisions the committee agreed upon.
Now they're talking about revisions to everyone's favorite subject: enhancements.
