Living in Fear in California: How Well-Meaning Policy Mistakes Are Undermining Safe Communities and What Can Be Done to Restore Public Safety

California was once a national leader in enacting tough-on-crime public safety protections such as Three Strikes and 10-20-Life. While controversial, these laws ensured justice for victims and safety for California’s diverse communities.

Years of prison overcrowding, followed by the appointment of a court-ordered prison receiver, led to a radical shift in policy in 2011 with the adoption of public safety realignment. Due to several questionable policy decisions in the Legislature and at the ballot box, many serious and repeat criminals now no longer serve time in state prison. Some receive a mere slap on the wrist.

In Living in Fear in California, Kerry Jackson explores California’s current crime problem. Using government data and real-life anecdotes, he paints a portrait of California’s crime problem in major cities, rural areas, schools, and communities where gangs openly operate.

Jackson reviews the massive policy changes that have resulted in many Californians living in fear in their own homes. He also outlines several common-sense reforms to fix the major problems brought about by the state’s public safety policy upheaval.