In this issue:
- Cameo House’s new alternative sentencing program opens its doors
- CJCJ releases new resource to help people get a fresh start
- After Proposition 47: Following the money
- Get Involved!
Cameo House’s new alternative sentencing program opens its doors
Program helps justice-involved families stay together in the community
On November 14, CJCJ’s Cameo House opened its doors to the San Francisco community for a celebration of its new alternative sentencing program. Cameo House has long served as CJCJ’s transitional housing program for formerly incarcerated homeless mothers in San Francisco.
Now, in partnership with the San Francisco Adult Probation Department, Cameo House is also now open as an alternative sentencing program for pregnant and parenting women, allowing families to stay together in a supportive and nurturing environment in the community.
Speakers at the November 14 reception included San Francisco Chief Probation Officer Wendy Still and Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi who highlighted the need for community-based programs that address the unique needs for formerly incarcerated mothers.
CJCJ releases new resource to help people get a fresh start
Seal It helps people navigate confusing process of sealing juvenile records
CJCJ is thrilled to announce the launch of Seal It, a new resource to help people seal their juvenile records. Juvenile records, including records of arrests and court rulings, can interfere with finding a job, getting into college, becoming a citizen, and getting a driver’s license, regardless of how law-abiding a person is during adulthood. But while records are not automatically sealed when people turn 18 — despite the common misperception that they are — most people can petition to have their records sealed and eventually destroyed.
But the record-sealing process is frustrating, confusing, and burdensome, with each of the state’s 58 counties requiring different sets of obscure procedures. Seal It helps people get through the process, answering frequently asked questions about sealing juvenile records, including eligibility requirements and the legal implications of sealing a record, and providing a database of county-specific information.
After Proposition 47: Following the Money
Advocates must make sure the savings get into the right hands
Two weeks ago, California voters ushered in a landmark opportunity to reduce the state’s over-reliance on incarceration and support some of its most vulnerable communities. With the passage of Proposition 47, drug possession and petty theft-related offenses were reclassified as misdemeanors, with immediate implications for tens of thousands of Californians who have been convicted, or face being convicted, of these offenses.
The initiative also goes beyond sentencing reform, directing the money saved from sending thousands fewer people to prison (where annual costs now run at more than $60,000 per head) to the “Safe Neighborhood and Schools Fund,” which will support substance abuse and mental health treatment, truancy and drop-out prevention, and victim services. But while the initiative holds great promise for sustainably reducing incarceration, that outcome is far from guaranteed.
Advocates must make sure the money doesn’t get claimed by law enforcement agencies, and instead supports community-based programs and services that will truly reduce society’s reliance on incarceration.