Prop 36

An inefficient reliance on incarceration as a means to reduce crime has led to massive incarceration costs and widespread demand for reform. Criminal Justice policymakers fear they will not be re-elected if they support reforms that are perceived to endanger public safety. The current study examines an instance of the diminishing returns paradox, California’s Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act. Using synthetic control group methods, this study evaluates whether SACPA threatened public safety or cost more than it saved, as critics predicted. The results suggest UCR Part 1 property crimes increased and aggravated assault decreased following SACPAs enactment.