Blog Oct 21, 2011
Audio broadcast “It’s all business” out now
It’s all business is a short broadcast that discusses the role lobbying firms play in exacerbating the current prison crisis in California. Lobbying firms represent special interest groups in California, promoting and opposing legislation based on the agenda of their clients. These firms specialize in strategic political marketing both to the legislature and to the public through the media. This broadcast aims to highlight the influential role lobbying firms play in shaping…
Blog Oct 20, 2011
Second Chance Act funding threatened
Of the $2.3 billion currently allocated in the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill, $0 is included in the Senate’s version for Second Chance Act funding. Although full funding would require $165 million, there is an opportunity to restore, at least a portion of this crucial funding for fiscal year 2012. President Obama has requested $100 million and the House of Representatives request includes $70 million; however, agreement from both the House and the Senate appropriations…
CJCJ’s distinguished Senior Research Fellow will be presenting at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) annual conference at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. on November 16 – 19, 2011. Senior Research Fellow Randall G. Shelden , Ph.D., will present his paper The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and It’s Role in the Passage of Crime Control Legislation on Thursday, Nov. 17, in the panel session The Politics of Punishment and Corrections , 12:30 pm to 1:50 pm in…
Blog Oct 19, 2011
Audio broadcast “Money Talks” out now
Money Talks is a four-minute broadcast that introduces listeners to the criminal justice special interest group landscape in California, highlighting key players and the strategies they employ to promote their agenda in California’s criminal justice policymaking. Modern American society is characterized by an unequal distribution of power and economic resources, wherein those who have the greatest access to resources are most able to have their interests represented by the law. …
Oct 18, 2011
Oakland right to be skeptical of curfews
Oakland right to be skeptical of curfews San Francisco Chronicle, October 18, 2011
Blog Oct 13, 2011
CA Policy: Round up
This blog concludes a nine-part CA policy series of blogs focused on California’s special interest groups and their impact on criminal justice policy. You can find the full series on CJCJ’s California Criminal Justice Interest Group Watch . The series aimed to answer the question: when it comes to promoting criminal justice policy in California, what works and why? I conducted my exploration of this issue through three channels: ~ Examining various marketing strategies deployed by…
Listen to this excellent podcast by Prison Photography’s Pete Brook, interviewing CJCJ’s Executive Director Daniel Macallair on the history of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and the evolution of criminal and juvenile justice in California. PPOTR #3: Interview with Dan Macallair of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice by Pete Brook
Blog Oct 7, 2011
CA Policy: The corporate interest
Kathy Lynch is the legislative advocate for two California bail agent associations: the California Bail Agents Association (CBAA ); and Golden State Bail Agents Association (GSBAA ). She founded Lynch & Associates in 1985. These two groups explicitly lobby for increases in the fee detainees must pay for bail-posting services. In California, the Department of Insurance regulates bail premiums (the amount of money paid to a bail bondsman for their services), which are set as a percentage…
Save the Date: November 17, 2011 . CJCJ Executive Director Daniel Macallair will be speaking at California’s Prisons: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly , hosted by Capitol Weekly and the University of California. The full-day conference will feature four panel discussions centered on the challenges of California’s penal system and correctional issues. Other speakers include: Don Novey, former head of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association; Jim Gomez, former state prisons director…
The International Drug Policy Reform Conference is a biennial event that brings together people from around the world who believe that the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. It brings together over 1,000 attendees representing 30 different countries. Senior Research Fellow, Mike Males, will be presenting at the panel, Connecting Juvenile Justice and Drug Policy Reform: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead , on Friday, Nov. 4 at 3:45 pm to 5:15 pm in Room San Gabriel A, Lobby Level. For…
To Curb Juvenile Crime and Violence, Oakland Debates Teen Curfew Bay Citizen, October 4, 2011
Blog Oct 4, 2011
Annie E. Casey Foundation: No place for kids
Today, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released their newest publication, No Place for Kids: The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration . It presents a fresh review of juvenile justice in America, and makes future recommendations for improving the system. Highlights include: ~ Roughly 60,500 youths in America are confined in correctional facilities (according to a 2007 census, and not including youths confined temporarily in detention centers). ~ Two of every five confined youths are…