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
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
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
As a person of faith, I believe that living out my faith is a call to promote freedom. In our society, however, freedom seems to exist as a privilege for those with more power and opportunities. Freedom is definitely a tricky thing for the youth who live behind the bars… Read more
As the Director of our Books Not Bars campaign, I have heard too many horror stories from youth and families about the abuse and trauma that kids suffer in our State’s youth prisons. Though we have exposed the DJJ’s failure to rehabilitate the youth in its care for years, we… Read more
As many are aware, last week the Hunger Strike leaders at Pelican Bay called for an end to the hunger strike after they were offered small concessions including beanies to keep warm, calendars on their walls, proctors for exams and a good faith promise from CDCR Undersecretary
On July 18, 2011, nearly 200 advocates and family members of California prisoners held a demonstration at CDCR headquarters in Sacramento to draw attention to the ongoing Hunger Strike. Afterwards they marched to Governor Jerry Brown’s office to deliver almost 8,000 signatures that support the Hunger Strike. The unified… Read more
1515 S Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Secretary Cate,
On behalf of Books Not Bars, I am writing in strong support for the closure of Preston youth prison. The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights organizes people-powered campaigns to transform California. Our Books Not Bars campaign… 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
As we recently reported here on the Ella Baker Center blog, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) recently pulled an appalling bait and switch. Using a website and email campaign, they offered $200 and amnesty to any of 14,000 parolees who had broken contact
