I was at the movie theater the other day and witnessed something we’ve all seen at some point in our lives: a group of kids trying to get into a rated R movie. I overheard the theater employee lecture them on the appropriateness of following rules and why the movie… Read more
This post originally appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the Sacramento Bee.
I am very grateful to the brave and honest men and women who work as police officers, sheriff’s deputies and prison guards. But as a taxpaying citizen, I feel that I am culpable in… Read more
When I joined the Ella Baker Center family in the spring of 2007, my biggest learning curve was related to our youth prison reform work. I certainly agreed academically with our Books Not Bars platform, but I had very limited knowledge of just how badly broken… Read more
The other day, I had the pleasure of talking to a young person who had recently graduated from high school. She talked about her plans to start college in the fall and her aspirations to become a nurse. The conversation then veered towards some trouble that her friend… Read more
In the United States, 90,000 youth find themselves in juvenile detention centers on any given night. 2.2 million youth are arrested each year. In California, the state Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) youth prison system costs us $216,000 per youth per year, while a mere $8,000 per student is allocated… Read more
My partner, child and I just got back from the United States Social Forum in Detroit on Saturday. We slept nearly the entire day Sunday; I think I slept as much or more than my four month old daughter (which is a lot).
In addition to smiling at… Read more
On 7/7/10 members of the Ella Baker Center’s Books Not Bars Campaign advocated during public comment for an open public selection process for the new Alameda County Chief Probation Chief. The new chief would impact the lives of many of the mothers of youth held in youth… Read more
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) issued a press release late last week stating that they would be canceling all non-mandated visiting at all 33 adult prisons from June 25th – 26th.
In the final two weeks of their fiscal year, the department is “getting serious” about… Read more
California essentially gave up on Maria Santana’s son when he was 15 years old and was locked up in the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) youth prisons. Initially told he would be released in four years, Maria’s son has been languishing for nearly 10 years. With eight other children and… Read more
Yesterday, a jury in Rancho Cucamonga affirmed that sexual abuse in California’s prisons is unjustifiable. The jury unanimously decided that the civil rights of Guillermo Ruelas, Oscar Miranda, Alejandro Espinoza, and Martin Mendoza had been violated by James Shelby, a former guard of the Heman G. Stark Youth… Read more
