The facilities at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility are unacceptable. I know because I’ve experienced them first hand.
I started this petition with help from Books Not Bars because its important for those outside of prison to stand in solidarity with those of us who are locked away and… Read more
Governor Brown has done it again. He has proposed in the state budget to close the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) once and for all. The DJJ drains much-needed funds from our schools and vital community programs that would help California thrive. The youth prison system promotes… Read more
The following has been reposted from The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) is the only publication covering juvenile justice and related issues in the Southeast and around the nation on a consistent, daily basis.
In his first move of 2012, California’s Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal for… Read more
On November 18, 2011, a campus police officer at UC Davis used pepper spray on a row of seated students peacefully protesting. A cell phone video of the incident went viral, made national headlines, and even inspired an internet meme. The most disturbing feature of the video, and a… Read more
During my 12 years as a crime reporter for The Associated Press, I gravitated towards stories about criminal justice – and very often discovered that people really didn’t want to hear them. I talked to men and women accused and convicted of all kind of heinous crimes — husbands who… Read more
The following Poem was written by Ella Baker Center Books Not Bars organizer and parent Lourdes Duarte. This heartfelt piece was written by Lourdes in dedication to her son who spent several years in California’s abusive Youth Prison System.
If I had the power of the entire universe, I would cut the jail cell… Read more
In a few weeks, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors will vote on whether or not to approve Sheriff Baca’s latest plan to rob LA: a new jail that will cost $2.66 billion dollars($1.4 billion to build and $1.26 billion in interest to bankers). Los Angeles County is one of
Yesterday, California’s state Department of Finance announced that the state will slash more services in order to keep the budget balanced. That includes about $550 million from schools: colleges, universities, and K-12. Devastating cuts to an already shattered budget. In contrast, prisons got cut a measly $20… Read more
The following is re-post of an interview with 2011 Legacies of People Power participant Ericka Huggins. The Interview was done by Rebecca Walker of the ROOT.
The Root: What similarities and differences do you see between the Black Panther Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement?
Ericka… Read more
Throughout this year we have exposed many of the injustices committed by California’s Division of Juvenile Justice but this week the DJJ got shamed with a CBS Sacramento report featuring members of our Families for Books Not Bars Network. Below you will find a story written by Jack… Read more
