View source for 2000 California Proposition 21

{{Short description|Referendum on juvenile penalties}}
{{Infobox referendum
| name = Proposition 21
| title = '''Treatment of Juvenile Offenders. Initiative Statute'''
| yes = 4,491,166
| no = 2,742,148
| total = 7,233,314
| electorate = 7,881,999
| map = 2000 California Proposition 21 results map by county.svg
| mapdivision =
| notes = Source: [[California Secretary of State]]<ref name="statementofvote">{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008-general/sov_complete.pdf |title=Statement of Vote: 2008 General Election|format=PDF|publisher=[[California Secretary of State]]|date=December 13, 2008|access-date=June 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506165548/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008-general/sov_complete.pdf|archive-date=May 6, 2013}}</ref>
}}
{{ElectionsCA}}
'''California Proposition 21''', known also as '''Prop 21''', was a proposition proposed and passed in 2000 that increased a variety of criminal penalties for crimes committed by youth and incorporated many youth offenders into the adult criminal justice system.<ref>{{cite web|title=Proposition 21|url=https://lao.ca.gov/ballot/2000/21_03_2000.html|website=Legislative Analyst's Office|access-date=August 4, 2024}}</ref> Major provisions of the proposition, as summarized by [[Attorney General of California]] are:

*Increased punishment for [[gang]]-related [[felonies]]; [[death penalty]] for gang-related [[murder]]; indeterminate [[life sentence]]s for home-invasion [[robbery]], [[carjacking]], [[witness intimidation]] and [[drive-by shooting]]s; and a new crime of recruiting for gang activities; and authorizes [[wiretapping]] for gang activities.
*Requires adult trial for juveniles 14 or older charged with murder or specified sex offenses.
*Elimination of informal [[probation]] for juveniles committing felonies.
*Required registration for gang related offenses.
*Designation of additional crimes as violent and serious felonies, thereby making offenders subject to longer sentences.

The proposition received considerable controversy and was subject to vigorous protests by youth and human rights groups. Judges also expressed concern that the law eliminated checks and balances inherent to juvenile fitness hearings, as it effectively placed the power to try juvenile offenders squarely in the hands of a district attorney.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ribner |first1=Neil G. |title=California School of Professional Psychology Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology |date=17 February 2003 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-7879-6778-9 |page=86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vUyLwVkEFN0C&pg=PA86 |language=en}} "Proposition 21, passed by California voters in 2000, made changes to California's Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act. The major change affects the way in which decisions are to be made about whether to prosecute a juvenile in juvenile court or adult court. Prior to the passage of Proposition 21, juvenile court judges made these decisions. After the proposition was passed, courts no longer had this discretion. Decisions whether to try youths as adults have fallen in to the hands of district attorneys.  Some judges in California  have spoken out about their belief that this change in the law removes the checks and balances inherent in a judicial review of such decisions."</ref> Nevertheless, Proposition 21 was eventually passed.  Opponents included the [[Californians for Justice]], the [[Critical Resistance]] Youth Force Coalition, and the [[Ella Baker Center for Human Rights]].  Prop 21 received the support of 62.1% (4,491,166) of the voters while 37.9% (2,742,148) voted against the proposition.<ref>[http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2000-primary/measures.pdf March 2000 State Ballot Measures]</ref> Only the comparatively liberal counties of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] voted by majority against the measure.

== Results of vote==
In February 2001, state [[California Court of Appeal|Court of Appeal]] in [[San Diego]] invalidated provisions of the law requiring 14- to 17-year-olds to be tried in the adult courts.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/08/MN133525.DTL Court Curbs New Youth Crime Law, Retrieved September 12, 2015]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305160529/http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/archive/2000/primary/propositions/topten.html#21 Top Ten Contributors, For & Against, calvoter.org]
* [http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_21,_Treatment_of_Juvenile_Offenders_(2000) Treatment of Juvenile Offenders, ballotpedia.org]

[[Category:2000 California ballot propositions|21]]
[[Category:Initiatives in the United States]]
[[Category:Criminal penalty ballot measures in the United States]]


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