Blog Jun 17, 2014
Remembering John Vasconcellos
With the death of former State Senator John Vasconcellos on May 29, the California criminal justice reform community lost one of its great champions. Vasco, as he was affectionately known, was one of those rare elected officials whose commitment to justice never wavered.
Lizzie Buchen, CJCJ’s Communications and Policy Analyst, discusses the negative impact mandatory minimums would have on California’s juvenile justice system in a recent Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Op-ed.
Blog Jun 16, 2014
Scared of Gun Violence? Run INTO a School!*
School and college campuses account for 5 out of every 10,000 shootings in the United States, but occupy 90% of our discussion of gun violence.
SB 838 would establish the first mandatory minimum sentences in California’s juvenile justice system. These sentences are punitive, reject the notion of rehabilitation, and do not prevent crime. Help us stop this bill from becoming law!
Blog Jun 10, 2014
Harm Reduction: A Hard Pill to Swallow
San Francisco Sentencing Commissioner, Kate McCracken, reflects upon a recent visit to Seattle, Washington to learn more about the LEAD program, a police operated pre-arrest diversion program.