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
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
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
This blog is part of our series celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. You can celebrate with us at the 2011 Ellas: 15 Years of People-Powered Change, or submit your own anniversary memory or wish to ellasvoice@ellabakercenter.org.
I… Read more
The protest at the Ventura Youth Prison on Sunday, August 21, 2011 was truly amazing. Everyone who attended gave it their all.
It also made me take a hard look at the long fight we still have in the DJJ. As we gathered at the area they designated… Read more
As families struggle to send their loved ones back to school, families of incarcerated youth in the California youth prison system are painfully fighting for simple improvements like clean food, medical treatment and
This blog originally appeared as an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Daily News.
When I first held my oldest son Jesse 17 years ago in my arms, the light in his eyes was so bright. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, he loved to write and… Read more
Last weekend, I traveled to the Ventura Youth Prison in Camarillo, CA. There I joined families of incarcerated youth, formerly incarcerated youth, and allies from across the state to decry the abuses of the Division of Juvenile Justice. Their stories reveal a system that is violent, abusive and ineffective at… Read more
I had forgotten their stories. I had put away in my mind the incarceration of two of my younger siblings when they were teenagers. My brother was maced into signing his confession, and imprisoned for almost a year. My baby sister was sent hours away from home to a correctional… Read more
