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In this issue:
  • CJCJ voices concern about jail funding and Prop. 47 at the BSCC
  • Wraparound youth client is ready for a fresh start
  • After the Doors Were Locked by Daniel Macallair is now available! 
CJCJ voices concern about jail funding and Prop. 47 at the BSCC

Advocates gather in Sacramento to demand a more transparent and responsible funding process

On November 12th, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) held a meeting in Sacramento to approve $500 million in adult facility construction funding, and to appoint co-chairs for the committee that will eventually make Proposition 47 funding decisions next year. 

Senate Bill (SB) 863 allocated $500 million in state funding to counties proposing to construct programming space in local jails. CJCJ and other advocates convened at the BSCC’s headquarters to comment publicly on the lack of transparency that afflicted this funding process and limited community review of county proposals. 

Over 50 people spoke out in criticism of the funding itself, requesting that the BSCC not approve the award money to counties. The Board ultimately authorized 15 counties to receive portions of the $500 million. 

While the proposal process was flawed in many counties, CJCJ was particularly concerned with Butte County’s use of its inmate welfare fund to pay for a construction project. The inmate welfare fund is comprised of profits from commissary, phone calls, and other costs to incarcerated people and their families. These are legally designated toward direct services for people in jail — not jail construction. After this concern was raised by several advocates, the BSCC postponed Butte County’s award to review possible illegalities. 

Read more about the BSCC’s November 12th decisions here »

Wraparound youth client is ready for a fresh start

After completing CJCJ’s Wraparound Program, Ruben pursues his many diverse interests and ambitions 

CJCJ congratulates Ruben for his achievements while enrolled in CJCJ’sWraparound Program, and celebrates his future accomplishments. After only three months with CJCJ, Ruben was dismissed from probation this November. He is currently pursuing his high school diploma, practicing mixed martial arts, and expanding his apparel business,Movement Ink, an Oakland-based company owned and operated by him and his family. 

Ruben was successful because he came up with his own ways of managing stress,” says Jorge, Ruben’s case manager. He himself came up with his treatment plan.” Apart from his commitment to his business, CJCJ was able to support Ruben’s interest in mixed martial arts by covering equipment costs. His focus on these goals and interests, combined with the love and support from his aunt and uncle, greatly benefited our ability to manage his case and complete his therapy,” says Jorge. 

Growing up in San Francisco, Ruben’s father was deported when he was a young teenager. According to Ruben, this made him feel angry, and he began looking for recognition and family in negative ways. I was just doing what I wanted and not listening to anybody – hanging around with wrong people,” he says. 

As he grew older, Ruben realized the consequences of his actions and decided to change. He now looks forward to graduating from Five Keys Charter School in December, attending college in the Bay Area, and continuing to develop Movement Ink as a business and a community landmark.

Learn more about CJCJ’s Wraparound Program and other direct services here » 

After the Doors Were Locked by Daniel Macallair is now available!

CJCJ Executive Director’s new book on the history of California’s juvenile justice system is now available for purchase

As of November 20th, Daniel Macallair’s ground-breaking new book on the history of the California youth corrections system can be purchased online at major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, andRowman and Littlefield.

In Macallair’s compelling and incisive story about the nation’s largest youth corrections system, he exposes the realities of institutional life, including 150 years of scandal, public outrage, and failed reforms. As California’s juvenile crime continues its 40-year general decline, the state has an opportunity to learn from history and move away from the 19th century approach to juvenile treatment California continues to invest in today. 

Macallair’s book examines the cycle of failure inherent to what he terms the Nicer Institution” Syndrome wherein, without the benefits of historical analysis, well-intentioned juvenile justice advocates sustain the traditional congregate care model which ultimately leads to staff abuse and inhumane conditions for youth. 

After the Doors Were Locked tells us that California has not yet escaped this cycle of failure despite the massive changes to the juvenile justice system over the last decade. Ironically, the legal strategy that helped produce the astounding youth incarceration reductions may also have planted the seeds for its regeneration,” writes Macallair. 

Daniel Macallair’s research was commissioned by the California State Assembly Public Safety Committee and is the most comprehensive history of California’s youth corrections system to date. Macallair provides advocates, policymakers, and community leaders with historical context so that California may learn from the past, break the cycle of institutional failure, and provide better futures for our young people. 

Order your copy of After the Doors Were Locked here » For media inquiries, please contact cjcjmedia@​cjcj.​org or (415) 6215661 x. 121