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66K Marijuana Convictions To Be Dismissed In L.A. County After California Cannabis Legalization

Nearly 66,000 marijuana convictions in Los Angeles County eligible for relief under Proposition 64 are expected to be dismissed as part of the “Clear My Record” pilot program, officials said Thursday.

The action announced by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Code for America marks the completion of the five-county Clear My Record pilot to clear marijuana-related convictions eligible for relief under Proposition 64, according to the County.

The other counties in the pilot include San Francisco, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Contra Costa. In total, these five pilots are set to help reduce or dismiss more than 85,000 Proposition 64-eligible convictions.

“The dismissal of tens of thousands of old cannabis-related convictions in Los Angeles County will bring much-needed relief to communities of color that disproportionately suffered the unjust consequences of our nation’s drug laws,” Lacey said. “I am privileged to be part of a system dedicated to finding innovative solutions and implementing meaningful criminal justice reform that gives all people the support they need to build the life they deserve.”

Prosecutors this week asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to dismiss 62,000 felony cannabis convictions for cases that date back to 1961, according to the D.A.’s Office.

“Today’s action marks the completion of our California Clear My Record pilot, through which we will have helped to dismiss and seal more than 85,000 marijuana convictions across the state,” said Evonne Silva, Code for America’s senior program director of criminal justice. “This is a clear demonstration that automatic record clearance is possible at scale and can help to right the wrongs of the failed war on drugs. Looking forward, Code for America stands at the ready to help all California counties provide this much-needed relief in advance of the July 1, 2020 deadline.”

Approximately 53,000 individuals are set to receive conviction relief through this partnership. Of those, approximately 32 percent are black or African American, 20 percent are white, 45 percent are Latino, and 3 percent are “other” or unknown.

Proposition 64 identifies three health and safety code sections that qualified for resentencing: cultivation of marijuana, possession for sale of marijuana and sales and/or transport of marijuana, all felonies.

The law also includes dismissing possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. Lacey used additional criteria to go beyond the parameters of the new law to ensure the greatest number of dismissals. Those expanded parameters include persons who are 50 years or older, haven’t had a felony conviction in the past 10 years or have successfully completed probation for cannabis convictions.

Based on these criteria, Code for America created an algorithm for the office in order to fast-track the identification of eligible convictions. This technology can analyze eligibility for thousands of convictions in seconds, alleviating the need for DA staff to go through state criminal records one by one to evaluate eligibility, saving time and significant resources.

In California, all county District Attorney’s Offices are required to implement AB 1793 by July 1, 2020. Earlier this year, Code for America launched its new Clear My Record Application and Implementation Blueprint, available at no cost and open source to all California counties. These resources allow every District Attorneys’ Office to expedite and streamline review of Proposition 64 convictions.

Code for America’s pilot partnerships have set the standard for the statewide implementation of AB 1793, which tasks prosecutors with affirmatively reviewing convictions eligible for dismissal or reduction under Proposition 64. This approach also creates a blueprint for the future of record clearance for remedies beyond Proposition 64 – the development of policy and technology that expands, streamlines and automates the record clearance process at scale.

If residents would like to find out if their record has been cleared or get more information about this initiative, they can contact the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office by phone at (323) 760-6763 or visit here.


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66K Marijuana Convictions To Be Dismissed In L.A. County After California Cannabis Legalization

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.