SAN MARCOS – Two Propositions on the 2024 California voter’s ballot put the rights and punishments inmates would receive into the people’s hands, and they were merciless.

Proposition 6 proposed to remove involuntary servitude from the prison system. Californians voted against this proposition allowing references to slavery to remain in their Constitution, according to CalMatters.org. Proposition 36 has been passed to overturn Proposition 47, resulting in harsher sentences for drug and theft crimes for previous offenders.

Prop 6 is a legislative constitutional amendment that proposed to remove involuntary servitude as a requirement for incarcerated people. Currently, it is legal in California to sentence inmates to involuntary work.

Darrell Tittle, a member of Palomar’s Rising Scholars, shared his views on the propositions. He spent 20 years in the prison system and has first hand experience with the issues these propositions are addressing.

“They require you to go to work…and if you don’t go to work you can be held under disciplinary actions. That can be loss of visiting, loss of commissary, and even loss of very well being able to take a shower because you don’t have access to the day room,” Tittle said.

Prop 6 would replace carceral involuntary servitude with voluntary work programs for convicted individuals. This Prop has bipartisan support with no official opponents,

Those who voted “No” did so with a “You did the crime, you serve the time” attitude. Yet no confusing verbiage covered up that this proposition had nothing to do with time served for a crime, rather how it is spent.

“The wages are slave wages. Eight cents all the way up to two dollars, but majority of the time the two dollar ones are for PIAs [Prison Industry Authorities] and inmates that fight fires…” Tittle said.

If it had been passed, Proposition 6 would have refocused prosecution to prioritize rehabilitation, reduce re-offences, and improve public safety, resulting in taxpayer savings.

Proposition 36 will roll-back progress made by Proposition 47, increasing the charges for possession of certain drugs and theft under $950 if the defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions.

Those in possession of illegal drugs will face a new treatment-mandated felony. Those caught selling lethal drugs, such as fentanyl, will face a warning that they can face a murder charge.

Because of these increased sentences, convicts will spend more time in the court system and live out their sentence in state prison compared to county jail. This will ultimately create fiscal increases into the hundreds of millions, and it will be funded by tax dollars. Local criminal justice cost projections are in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

“That’s the main thing about it. It’s not about helping out society, I believe it’s more based on capitalism” said Tittle.

These costs will be compensated for by a reduction in how much the state must spend on mental health and drug treatment, school truancy, and dropout prevention and victim services.

This proposition is supported by the Crime Victims United of California, California District Attorneys Association, Family Business Association of California. It is opposed by Diana Becton, District Attorney Contra Costa County, and Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice.

“We’re supposed to be a modern society, why would we still wanna hold on to draconian laws.”