So far, nearly 4,900 people have petitioned county courts to have their sentences shortened or their offenses erased or reduced, according to data compiled by the Judicial Council.
Those include 365 petitions to have juvenile records expunged.
“It’s a huge benefit–these convictions affect people’s ability to get jobs, house loans and all sorts of things,” said retired Placer County Judge J. Richard Couzens, who studied the law’s impact for the Council.
Prop. 64 also provides “a more therapeutic approach” for juvenile offenders, Couzens said, prescribing counseling programs and community service rather than jail sentences or fines. (The measure only extends the use of legal marijuana to those 21 or older). “It’s designed to be more of an intervention than it is a penal consequence,” Couzens said.
Source: CA. Courts
