California courts will soon have significantly more discretion in sentencing. On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 73, officially ending mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
This was the fourth legislative attempt in three years to end California’s mandatory minimum policy. SB 73 will allow courts to suspend sentences for convicted individuals and grant probation through a state-mandated local program. These alternative sentencing options had previously been prohibited for various controlled substances under California state law.
Mandatory minimum sentences affect tens of thousands of residents annually, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. KTLA reports that mandatory sentences range from two to more than seven years.
State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco authored the legislation. He said it’s crucial to ending the state’s "system of mass incarceration," which he says disproportionately harms communities of color.
The California Association of Highway Patrolmen opposed the bill. It claims that penalties like mandatory minimums are necessary to deter the sale and use of drugs.
The law goes into effect January 1st.
