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
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
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
