California Ballot Measure Targeting Repeat Offenders Could Boost Prison Population, Analysts Say

Proposition 36 aims to undo the criminal justice reforms of Prop. 47, which changed some felonies to misdemeanors.

Condemned inmates in an exercise yard at San Quentin State Prison's death row on Aug. 15, 2016, in San Quentin, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California’s Proposition 36, a ballot measure that calls for tougher penalties on some repeat offenders, could increase the state’s prison population, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said in a Sept. 10 report.

Voters in November will decide on the measure, which targets certain drug and theft offenses while offering mental health and addiction programs meant to address root causes of crime.