California is at the forefront of a national movement to rethink our approach to criminal justice and reimagine what it takes to create safer and healthier communities.

We’re charting a new course because years of “tough on crime” approaches haven’t worked.  Over the past few decades, we’ve militarized neighborhood police and sent hundreds of thousands of young people to jail for minor offenses like drug use and shoplifting.

Mass incarceration has strained our budget. Since 1980, California has built 22 new prisons but only one new University of California campus.  For all the billions of dollars spent, these failed policies haven’t helped our young people get ahead.

My name is Susan Burton and I know this story well.  In 1981, my five-year-old son was struck by a car and killed.  I was devastated, and my life fell apart.  In the weakest of moments I filled the void and numbed my grief with alcohol and substance abuse, sending me deeper into despair.  Eventually, this path led me to years of incarceration.

I was not alone in this.  Thousands of Americans were caught in the same cycle in the so-called War on Drugs, mostly poor, mostly of color.  I needed a change, so did our state, and so did our nation.

By grace I was steered and committed to a treatment facility that committed to me.  With help, I found work as a live-in caregiver.  I applied to become a licensed home health aide.  Still, my felony record barred me from that line of work.  I saved enough money to buy a bungalow in Los Angeles and opened it to other women struggling to rebuild their lives after prison. I found my calling in life and dedicated myself to helping other women restart their lives after incarceration.  Still, a record of felonies prevented me from visiting jails or prisons, despite my years of successful work helping women effectively transition back into society.  I have also been unable to serve on a jury or apply for student loans to further my education. It’s not fair, and it doesn’t benefit anyone.

Happily and justly, all that changed this past November, when California voters passed Proposition 47, which reclassified several non-violent felonies to misdemeanors. Proposition 47 gives a second chance to millions and reduces the scandalous amount of money we spent on incarceration.

In Los Angeles alone, Proposition 47 is expected to save $175 million each year, mostly from reduced jail and prison costs.  Proposition 47 is the change-maker, but more is needed if we want to set people up to succeed rather than fail.  

Now, we need to make sure that county leaders use the savings from Proposition 47 as the voters intended—to fund programs that help prevent crime: mental health services, substance abuse treatment, gang intervention and other community based solutions.

Please join me in signing this petition asking all members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to honor the voters’ wishes on Proposition 47.