2000 California Proposition 21

Referendum on juvenile penalties Proposition 21 Treatment of Juvenile Offenders. Initiative Statute 4,491,166 2,742,148 7,233,314 7,881,999 2000 California Proposition 21 results map by county.svg Source: California Secretary of Statehttps://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2000-primary/sov-complete.pdf Statement of Vote: 2000 Primary Election PDF California Secretary of State April 2, 2025 California Proposition 21, known also as Prop 21, was a proposition proposed and passed in 2000 that increased a variety of criminal penalties for crimes committed by youth and incorporated many youth offenders into the adult criminal justice system.Proposition 21 https://lao.ca.gov/ballot/2000/21_03_2000.html Legislative Analyst's Office August 4, 2024 Major provisions of the proposition, as summarized by Attorney General of California are: Increased punishment for gang-related felonies; death penalty for gang-related murder; indeterminate life sentences for home-invasion robbery, carjacking, witness intimidation and drive-by shootings; and a new crime of recruiting for gang activities; and authorizes wiretapping for gang activities. Requires adult trial for juveniles 14 or older charged with murder or specified sex offenses. Elimination of informal probation for juveniles committing felonies. Required registration for gang related offenses. Designation of additional crimes as violent and serious felonies, thereby making offenders subject to longer sentences. The proposition received considerable controversy and was subject to vigorous protests by youth and human rights groups. Judges also expressed concern that the law eliminated checks and balances inherent to juvenile fitness hearings, as it effectively placed the power to try juvenile offenders squarely in the hands of a district attorney.Ribner Neil G. California School of Professional Psychology Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology 17 February 2003 John Wiley & Sons 978-0-7879-6778-9 86 https://books.google.com/books?id=vUyLwVkEFN0C&pg=PA86 en "Proposition 21, passed by California voters in 2000, made changes to California's Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act. The major change affects the way in which decisions are to be made about whether to prosecute a juvenile in juvenile court or adult court. Prior to the passage of Proposition 21, juvenile court judges made these decisions. After the proposition was passed, courts no longer had this discretion. Decisions whether to try youths as adults have fallen in to the hands of district attorneys. Some judges in California have spoken out about their belief that this change in the law removes the checks and balances inherent in a judicial review of such decisions." Nevertheless, Proposition 21 was eventually passed. Opponents included the Californians for Justice, the Critical Resistance Youth Force Coalition, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Prop 21 received the support of 62.1% (4,491,166) of the voters while 37.9% (2,742,148) voted against the proposition.March 2000 State Ballot Measures Only the comparatively liberal counties of the San Francisco Bay Area voted by majority against the measure. Results of vote In February 2001, state Court of Appeal in San Diego invalidated provisions of the law requiring 14- to 17-year-olds to be tried in the adult courts.Court Curbs New Youth Crime Law, Retrieved September 12, 2015 In February 2002, the Supreme Court of California reversed the Court of Appeal's holding and allowed the provisions to stand as written. Manduley v. Superior Ct., 27 Cal. 4th 537, 41 P.3d 3 (2002), as modified (Apr. 17, 2002) References External links Top Ten Contributors, For & Against, calvoter.org Treatment of Juvenile Offenders, ballotpedia.org 21 Category:Initiatives in the United States Category:Criminal penalty ballot measures in the United States