Editor's Note: Californians voted in favor of Prop. 57. See the story here.

An Agoura Hills couple that was burglarized while vacationing is sharing the details of their traumatic experience.

Tamara and Sean Goulden returned from Mexico to find burglars had ransacked their home, stealing thousands of dollars in family heirlooms, jewelry and cash.

"I felt raped, I felt beaten," said Tamara Goulden as she recounted the burglary. "It's so traumatic to go back to that moment realizing what was taken from us."

Nearly three years later, detectives arrested three men for the crime. The arrests were part of a massive multi-agency investigation led by the Torrance Police Department.

In a pre-dawn raid in August, more than 20 suspects, believed to be linked to thousands of Southern California burglaries, were taken into custody.

Many of them are gang members from South LA, according to detectives. Police called it one of the largest criminal burglary rings they've encountered.

"You're talking well over a million, $2 million dollars in loss," said Detective Sean O'Rourke of the Torrance Police Department. "Some of these individuals were involved in 100 burglaries in a year."

NBC4 was given exclusive access into law enforcement's four-year-long investigation, which led to the burglary ring raid. It led them to uncover another enterprise, in which they discovered inmates urging friends and associates to approve Proposition 57.

"Honestly, it was a little alarming," said O'Rourke. "I could see they were communicating with other associates and telling them to - whether it's associates or family members - or a lot of times, other gang members, telling them to vote yes on 57."

NBC4 discovered several social media posts written by current inmates.

This one was posted on Facebook from inside jail from a felon who had been convicted of drug and robbery charges:

"PROP 57 IS HERE IF YALL REALLY CARE BOUT US THEN VOTE. WE DON'T NEED YALL VISIT PICS LETTERS PHNE SEX WE NEED Y'ALL VOTE."

NBC4 is not identifying the prisoner who posted this call to action, but has verified his identity and his criminal record and conviction. Proposition 57 would make approximately 7,000 prisoners eligible for parole after they complete their primary sentence.

Their release would be based on factors like time served and good behavior. In his radio ad supporting the measure, Governor Jerry Brown said, "It allows carefully screened nonviolent offenders, who've completed their primary sentence, to apply for parole, not necessarily get it."

But opponents believe the label "nonviolent" is deceptive. Residential burglary is among the crimes covered, but critics point to other crimes like assault with a deadly weapon and rape of an unconscious person, neither of which are defined as "violent crimes" under California law.

"These are career criminals and you can't just let an individual out like that or else there is chaos on the street," said O'Rourke.

To further their argument, opponents point to similar, earlier initiatives like Proposition 47 and AB 109, both of which facilitated some early prisoner releases, and which they blame for current increases in crimes.

Yet there have been no independent studies to verify those claims. Supporters of early release initiatives insist the measures are proving to reduce prison populations and rehabilitate drug offenders.

Approved in 2014, Proposition 47 reclassified certain drug and theft-related felonies as misdemeanors, which reduced sentences and released thousands of inmates.

NBC4 traveled to San Diego to talk with former police chief Bill Lansdowne, who is a co-author of Proposition 47.

"The old system of lock 'em up and forget them is not successful and it's devastating communities," said Lansdowne. "(Proposition 47) certainly has helped tens of thousands of people labeled as felons."

"They've been able to rebuild their lives," he said.

Other supporters, including probation officers, believe if passed Proposition 57 will end arbitrary releases.

The Chief Probation Officers of California association sent us the following statement in support of Prop. 57:



"The Chief Probation Officers of California support Prop. 57 because probation departments know implementing evidence-based rehabilitation is the best way to protect public safety.Prop 57 will require individuals to earn their release to community supervision, rather than being released arbitrarily either by statute or by a federal judge. We must ensure there is enough room in our prisons to keep the most dangerous offenders locked up while doing what we can to rehabilitate nonviolent offenders through proven programs that reduce recidivism and keep our communities safer."



The Gouldens disagree.



In the Gouldens' case, all three suspects were convicted drug or burglary felons who had been arrested multiple times over several years.



The couple believes they never would have been victimized had the thieves stayed behind bars.



"The world is not safe today, because what happened to me can happen to me again," said Goulden. "There's nothing to stop it."