Racist California Bill Backed By Democrats Forces Judges To Consider Race When Sentencing Convicts

A racist bill passed by Democrats in California is making its way through the legislature that would force judges to consider criminals' race when deciding the length of their prison sentence. 

The bill, Senate Bill 852, was introduced by Reggie Jones-Sawyer, the Democratic Chair of the California Assembly Public Safety Committee, back in February of this year. The measure was passed quietly by the assembly and is currently being discussed within the state’s Senate. 

The bill will add a section to the Penal Code of California that would force all courts within the state to consider race during sentencing to “rectify” the bias that the bill claims the state has. The bill is seen as a way to compensate for both current and past historical biases against members of minority communities. 

"It is the intent of the Legislature to rectify the racial bias that has historically permeated our criminal justice system as documented by the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. Whenever the court has discretion to determine the appropriate sentence according to relevant statutes and the sentencing rules of the Judicial Council, the court presiding over a criminal matter shall consider the disparate impact on historically disenfranchised and system-impacted populations," the proposed section of the California Penal Code reads. 

The bill also frequently references the task force that was created by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) back in 2020 to find out how to make amends for alleged historical wrong-doings of the state. The committee made numerous recommendations, many of which were shot down, like reparations, per the DC Enquirer.

Senate Bill 852 intends to continue with the legacy left by the California task force, which is no longer putting out any recommendations. Somehow, a task force that was made to fight racism has been left with the legacy of pushing racism into the courts of California, but it’s not like that task force ever actually made any sense. 

The bill of course had those who disagreed with it, such as Assembly Member Tom Lackey (R) who said to Fox News that the “justice system is intended to focus on accountability for behavior without racial considerations. The voice of victims and any potential repercussions for public safety should be our highest consideration when making decisions that directly impact California communities.” 

With the bill currently being reviewed by the California Senate, it’s unsure whether it will be able to make it into the California Penal Code. Even if the bill was able to proceed, it very likely can be challenged in the courts for its clearly racist contents, making the entire bill seem far less like actual change but instead a hoo-rah for attention by California lawmakers.