SANTA ANA – They waited patiently within the caged-off courtroom holding area, watching as a steady stream of their fellow inmates got months or even years of their sentences washed away with a quick ruling.

At a time of the day when activity at the Santa Ana courthouse is usually winding down, the small courtroom was packed with more than a dozen attorneys and convicts.

The first batch of offenders were trying to get their convictions reduced under newly approved Proposition 47 guidelines that knocked down penalties for some crimes, mainly drug- and theft-related offenses.

By the end of last week, about 4,500 Prop. 47 petitions had been received by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and several hundred have already been heard by the court. To deal with the influx of requests, a judge has begun hearing about two dozen petitions a day at the Orange County Superior Courthouse.

Defense attorneys say the changes will treat drug dependencies more appropriately, as medical issues instead of criminal issues, which will improve prospects for those caught up in the system of becoming employed and productive members of society.

Law enforcement officials, however, are less optimistic about the changes.

Within the first hour and a half of the hearings, Judge Jonathan Fish had ruled on more than 15 requests.

A small handful were continued at the request of prosecutors, who argued that the individual would be a danger to the public if released.

But the majority were approved within minutes, with most of those prisoners eligible for release on time served.

Several times during the proceedings, Fish pointed out that while some parts of the process are still being ironed out, it is clear that the voters who overwhelmingly supported Prop. 47 want those being held for these types of crimes released.

“The public said ‘make them misdemeanors and let them out of custody,’” the judge noted.

Less than a week after the proposition was approved, the District Attorney’s Office had already received at least 75 requests by inmates in local jails and state prison to have their sentences reduced.

“That’s probably just scratching the surface,” said Jaime Coulter, a senior assistant district attorney who oversees the department’s branch court operations. “There are thousands of cases that could be impacted.”

It’s estimated that at least 10,000 people statewide could now be eligible for release from lockup.

Backers argue that Prop. 47 will allow authorities to focus on violent offenders by reducing the costs of locking up nonviolent offenders. They say that locking up so many people on low-level charges has proved to be a drain on an already-crowded prison system.

Lisa Kopelman, a deputy public defender who represented a client whose conviction was reduced, noted that the new guidelines treat drug addiction “as a medical issue, not a criminal issue.”

With their crimes now considered misdemeanors, the former felons’ likelihood for future employment also increase, attorneys noted.

“Once you are not a felon, your job prospects are so much better,” Kopelman said.

The rapid requests have left prosecutors combing through criminal records to determine who still presents a danger to the community.

But despite their efforts, officials worry that some people will slip through the cracks.

“Super-scary people are being let out who will greatly effect our public safety,” said Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff at the District Attorney’s Office.

Police, meanwhile, worry about frustration for officers who will arrest individuals only to see them quickly released.

“We are going to bring them in and give them a ticket, bring them in and give them another ticket, then another ticket,” said Buena Park Police Chief Corey Sianez, head of the county police chiefs and sheriff’s association. “These type of criminals create havoc in the community.”

Impact on local jails is still unclear, however.

Officials do expect it to ease the inmate population. Local jails had seen rapid increases in the number of inmates they’ve housed in recent years, before a drop in property crimes began to lower the population.

“I think the numbers can only go down,” said Lt. Jeff Hallock, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman. “It’s just a question of how much.”

Prosecutors contend that even before Prop. 47, few people were locked up for simple drug possession, with the majority of first-time drug-related offenders given the option of treatment rather than jail or prison.

“For simple possession of narcotics, it was almost impossible to do jail time,” Schroeder said.

But with the threat of possible time behind bars off the table, authorities worry that it will be more difficult to get addicts into rehab.

The changes also limit prosecutors’ ability to get longer sentences for repeat offenders under the three-strikes guidelines, since some of the offenses would no longer be felonies.

Police say they don’t expect officers to stop enforcing the laws.

“We get the hand we are dealt. But we will continue to do whatever we can to keep our communities safe,” Sianez said. “It doesn’t change the way we do business, you will just see the same offenders over and over again.”

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com