Today, the Little Hoover Commission (LHC) hosted a public hearing on bail and sentencing reform in the State Capitol. LHC is an independent state oversight agency created in 1962 to investigate state government operations and promote efficiency, economy and improved service. As part of an ongoing assessment of public safety in California following AB 109 criminal justice realignment in October 2011, the LHC heard testimony regarding the monetary bail system, alternatives to bail, jail…
California is a very diverse state, with 58 counties potentially acting as “laboratories” of policy innovation in the field of juvenile justice. County and state-level practitioners, and policy makers can learn from these successes and model similar programs in their respective jurisdictions. However, these same counties also vary in their ability to address complex pressing challenges, specifically as relates to youth offenders. County-level data-analysis is a necessary building block in…
Yesterday, CJCJ launched its California juvenile justice interactive map , displaying a plethora of data regarding local youth arrest and confinement practices by county. This is particularly pertinent given that California’s statewide trends are so extraordinary: Youth crime in California is at its lowest level since statewide statistics were first compiled in 1954. The county-by-county data paint a more nuanced picture of juvenile justice in California. Among its 58 counties, the…
Blog Nov 14, 2012
Washington’s and Colorado’s marijuana legalization schemes are no model for California
Though widely celebrated by progressive drug-policy reform groups, Colorado’s Amendment 64 and Washington state’s Initiative 502 approved by voters “to regulate marijuana like alcohol” represent discriminatory approaches Californians should not emulate. In fact, California ‘s current marijuana regulation design under SB 1449 is better than offered by Colorado or Washington . In particular, Washington’s marijuana legalization framework is flawed, containing several provisions that…
Several weeks ago, I represented CJCJ at the Second Annual Conference on Public Safety Realignment . The conference was sponsored by the Joint Training Partnership of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA) and Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC). Over 600 law enforcement stakeholders were in attendance, representing Community Corrections Partnerships from the majority of the counties across California. Staff from the…