News items related to CDCR

AB 109, Prop 47, and Prop 57 Are Safely Reducing the Prison Population, but Durable Public Safety Requires Further Cuts in Corrections Spending: Maureen Washburn, Jan 24, 2018; Shifting California’s criminal justice priorities from punishment to prevention starts with the state budget.
CDCR Drafts Prop 57 Regulations that Undercut the Initiative: Maureen Washburn, Aug 29, 2017; The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was tasked with drafting the regulations governing Prop 57’s nonviolent parole process and earned credit expansion. Unfortunately, the proposed regulations categorically excludes thousands of imprisoned Californians.
Weakening Prop 57 Reinforces Mass Incarceration: Erica Webster, May 23, 2017; New legislation seeks to limit eligibility for Prop 57 reforms, thereby failing to address the root causes of mass incarceration and how we treat those who have committed violent crimes.
2017-18 Budget Expands Youth Prisons and Deepens Reliance on Incarceration: Maureen Washburn, Jan 20, 2017; In a time of fiscal caution, Governor Brown’s FY 2017-18 budget proposal deepens California’s reliance on youth incarceration.
The Lessons of California for Juvenile Justice Reform: Daniel Macallair, Sep 26, 2016; CJCJ's executive director pens an op-ed for the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) on the lessons to be learned from the failures of California's state youth corrections system.
Reports Cites Mental Health Treatment Gaps at California’s DJJ Facilities: Aug 24, 2016; The Chronicle of Social Change highlights a new CJCJ study on conditions at California's state youth correctional facilties.
Failure After Farrell: Violence and Inadequate Mental Health Care in California's Division of Juvenile Justice: Aug 11, 2016; CJCJ's new report finds, in California's state youth corrections system, violence has increased, gang culture is pervasive, and mental health treatment is at times nonexistent.
Young Adult Prisons Are Not the Answer: Maureen Washburn, Apr 26, 2016; A proposal by the California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation defies best practices and fails to heed the lessons of history.
Brown’s budget misses opportunity to shrink prison system: Lizzie Buchen, Jan 29, 2015; Despite the lowest crime rate in decades, and recent and potential reductions in the prison population, Brown continues to up prison spending and expand capacity.
CJCJ Statement on Governor Brown’s FY 14-15 Budget Proposal: Brian Goldstein, Jan 14, 2014; On Thursday, January 9, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown released his proposed FY 2014-15 Budget for California. CJCJ applauds the Governor’s willingness to adopt some of the systemic changes necessary for not only meeting the court-ordered prison population cap, but also improving public safety outcomes for all Californians. Yet, we are concerned by a failure to support long-term systemic reforms for improving our criminal justice system and the near absence of juvenile justice policy in his budget.
Who is in the SHU? The need for reform in prison isolation units: Emily Luhrs, Aug 23, 2011; Demonstrations are taking place at Governors' offices across the country today in New York, Connecticut, and Illinois in solidarity with those pushing for basic rights and humane conditions within the Security Housing Units (SHU) at the notorious Pelican Bay State Prison, located in the northwestern tip of California. The conditions of the SHU will be the topic of discussion at today's oversight hearing by California's Assembly Public Safety Committee (listen live at 1:30 pm ). The…
Conditions in California's SHU: Selena Teji, Aug 2, 2011; On July 1, 2011, eleven inmates in the Pelican Bay State Prison Security Housing Unit (SHU) began a hunger strike to protest the egregious conditions of their confinement. In particular, they objected to the lack of adequate food or programming and the lack of justification for indefinite SHU confinement. They demanded that CDCR comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons 2006 recommendations, and provide conditions comparable to that of solitary confinement units…
We can't just shoot 'em: Mike Males, Dec 22, 2008; California's growing budget crisis and prison lawsuits are focusing more attention on a serious policy question: Are there better ways to reduce crime and treat criminals than by spending $36,000 in taxpayer dollars every year to lock up each low-level property and drug possession offender in state prison? California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports show the state now imprisons 30,000 offenders sentenced for non-invasion property crimes or simple drug possession, at a cost…
Special Master's Final Report Filed: Investigate Schwarzenegger's Prison Policy Reversal, Union Ties and the Effect on Reform: Aug 1, 2006; Special Master's Final Report Filed: Investigate Schwarzenegger's Prison Policy Reversal, Union Ties and the Effect on Reform