CJCJ’s California Youth Prisons Archive Travels to San Jose

For the third year in a row, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) is proud to support All Youth Are Sacred (AYAS) and its Community Power Through Youth Safety fellowship, which hosts traveling juvenile justice events throughout the state. AYAS is a statewide narrative power building initiative. The events pair CJCJ’s archival photography from California’s now-closed youth prisons with local juvenile justice efforts. We have traveled across the state from Sacramento to Riverside, visiting Fresno, Salinas, Oakland and now San Jose.

Our San Jose event highlighted the ongoing Ending Girls’ Incarceration campaign in Santa Clara county. Santa Clara County’s journey toward ending girls’ incarceration began in 2015, when county leaders recognized that girls had different needs than boys in the juvenile justice system. By 2018, the Getting to Zero campaign was underway, bringing together community organizations with system partners and researchers to understand why girls were being detained. The findings were clear: many girls were not a threat to public safety; they were experiencing housing instability, family challenges, trauma, and a lack of support. Between 2018 and 2020, girls’ admissions to juvenile detention dropped by 58%, and the county reached periods with zero girls in custody. 

This work is ongoing and important for not only Santa Clara, but the rest of the state as we see what is possible. San Jose’s event focused on the coalition work necessary to achieve those low numbers, and the youth leadership in place in Santa Clara county today that is taking charge of these efforts. We also added some new materials to our archive to highlight the experience of girls’ incarceration in California’s youth facilities. A panel of formerly incarcerated youth leaders shared their vision for what youth justice and support should look like. Cultural dances and blessings were spread throughout the day to keep us grounded. It was an inspiring day of community voice, history, and power. Thank you to everyone who attended! We were proud to support. Check out our Instagram post for more photos from this beautiful event.

This event was put on in partnership with several local organizations and partners as well, please check out AYAS social media for their partner list. Thank you to Young Women’s Freedom Center for supporting this effort, and huge shout out to our youth leaders from AYAS for another successful event.