Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper announced a new ballot initiative that would revise Proposition 57 to prohibit sexually violent predators from being eligible for early parole.
Saying the state’s independent parole board has “too much unfettered power,” Cooper said the “only way to reform Prop. 57 is to take it back to the voters. That’s why we’re choosing a ballot initiative.”
Cooper, who was elected to the post in 2022 after 8 years in the Assembly, said he aims to qualify the measure, “Protect Our Kids: Reform Prop. 57,” for the 2028 ballot. He said a committee has been formed, and fundraising will soon begin for the effort.
Prop. 57, approved by voters in 2016, allows early release of nonviolent offenders in part to reduce overcrowding in California prisons.
Proposition 57 “was sold as a second chance for non-violent offenders. The authors of Prop. 57 said it wouldn’t apply to violent offenders,” Cooper said. Instead, he said, “voters were duped. How do we reform this? How do we change the law?”
Cooper’s ballot plan followed public outcry over the…
I’ve already made up my mind. It’s a hard no from me, and from my family! Up yours Cooper!
Absolutely NOT. It doesn’t do squat to protect the community.
I must admit, I’ll laugh like hell if this ballot initiative is defeated. And make it a point to email my amusement to the sheriff periodically.
While I understand the concerns being raised, I continue to have confidence in the Parole Board’s expertise and its case‑by‑case evaluations. They are specifically trained and appointed to make these decisions using established clinical and legal standards. Once someone is legally released, it becomes the responsibility of law enforcement — including the Sheriff’s Office — to ensure public safety for everyone, including those newly released, through support and fair treatment of all citizens, as their oath requires. That’s part of the job.
I’m cautious about shifting complex psychological and legal decisions from experts to the ballot box, especially when public fear or isolated cases can overshadow the broader facts. Public outcry can move in both directions, and that’s exactly why expert‑driven processes exist.
I also notice that nothing in the Sheriff’s statement suggests concern about actual reoffense risk — only concerns about power, perception, and political pressure. That’s why it’s important to keep these decisions grounded in evidence rather than emotion.
I totally understand that sex offense laws are written — with crucial info and perspective withheld — to make us look as scary as possible, but if someone kidnaps children and rapes them, and not just once, how is that defensible?
What is the least concerning crime that will land someone in the SVP category?
Jails empting out Sheriff because registrants are not the evil creatures you predict them to be. Shame on you.
I bet more “perverts” work for the Sacramento Sheriff Office than the average Joe or Jane that has to register in Sacramento, California, and the country as a whole. Sheriff Jim Copper sounds like a judging childish adult dressed up as a sheriff. F you Copper and your little crew too!!!