Participants sitting in a small circle share their personal experiences in the San Quentin Protestant Chapel Criminal justice reform took center stage at a San Quentin State Prison forum that brought together inmates, social justice advocates, formerly incarcerated citizens and public officials. “Reform has to change, as we all together are changing,” said Assemblymember Timothy Grayson, D-14th District, Concord. “We all still are rehabilitating. When I leave here, I’m going to tell people I just came from a place called ‘Project … [Read more...] about Prisoners contributed their input on criminal justice reform
Politics
California Correctional Peace Officers Association emerged during 2018 election
After almost a decade out of the spotlight, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) re-emerged when they bought two television commercials for two Democrats: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for governor and Assemblymember Tony Thurmond for superintendent of public instruction. The commercials cost the union $1 million dollars, the Los Angeles Times reports. Though it has remained politically active, the CCPOA flew under the radar during the last decade, compared to a previous strategy involving bold statewide campaigns. … [Read more...] about California Correctional Peace Officers Association emerged during 2018 election
California teachers’ retirement fund to divest from private prisons
California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) is divesting its stock holdings in private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group, reported Randy Diamond the Chief Investment Officer (CIO). CalSTRS’s $230 billion of assets makes it the second-largest pension system in the US. This decision makes it the nation’s third major public pension fund to divest from for-profit private prison companies. CalSTRS’s investment committee voted for a divestment review in July, after the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” border … [Read more...] about California teachers’ retirement fund to divest from private prisons
Judges balk at President’s immigration policy changes
Some judges are balking at immigration policy changes ordered by the Trump administration. The new policies include having immigration judges speed up their cases to meet quotas or face being fired The New York Times reported Sept. 7. The objections involve a series of changes that the judges’ bosses in the Justice Department say are aimed at chipping away at a backlog of 732,730 cases, the newspaper reported. There has been emphasis on efficiency and speeding up the process, said New York Immigration Judge Amiena … [Read more...] about Judges balk at President’s immigration policy changes
Bondsmen seek to overturn SB 10
A coalition of bondsmen has gathered signatures seeking to overturn California’s bail reform law, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The coalition said it submitted 200,000 more signatures than the 365,888 verified registered voter signatures required to place the repeal on the 2020 state ballot. “The bail industry and its corporate insurance backers have spent millions qualifying this referendum to protect their ability to profit off a system that prioritizes imprisonment, regardless of guilt or innocence,” said Roxanne … [Read more...] about Bondsmen seek to overturn SB 10
Trump directs immigration to reject applicants
President Trump’s administration will begin implementing new rules that will direct immigration officers to reject naturalization, visa petitions and green cards to applicants deemed likely to become a “public charge,” according to The Nation. “The rules about public charges have masked discrimination in the immigration process for more than a century,” said Chris Richardson, a former consular officer for the State Department. The purpose of the “public charge” was to prevent Irish Catholics immigrating to the United States and dates back … [Read more...] about Trump directs immigration to reject applicants
La retórica de Trump puede ser una farsa
Las declaraciones de Trump sobre sus intenciones de impedir el acceso a la caravana de inmigrantes hondureños, no es más que una farsa. Es indiscutible que a la administración de Trump, le conviene que la caravana llegue a territorio americano para que puedan arrestarlos y así ayudar a las corporaciones que contribuyen con su gobierno. GEO Group y CoreCivic Inc., son dos de las más grandes corporaciones privadas de detención en los Estados Unidos que han sido favorecidas con las pólizas de detención bajo la administración de … [Read more...] about La retórica de Trump puede ser una farsa
La crisis en Honduras obliga a muchos ciudadanos a emigrar
La crisis humanitaria que se vive en honduras ha obligado a una caravana de hondureños a iniciar su éxodo hacia los Estados Unidos. La pobreza, desempleo y la violencia, son algunas de las razones principales por las cuales los inmigrantes están abandonando su país. “La mayoría de los integrantes de la caravana tienen en mente una nueva vida en los Estados Unidos,” informó The New York Times. La caravana fue formada en San Pedro Sula, una ciudad del norte de Honduras caracterizada por sus altos niveles de violencia, subrayó … [Read more...] about La crisis en Honduras obliga a muchos ciudadanos a emigrar
Facial recognition technology poses privacy issues
New facial recognition technology may be used to target returning citizens. “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” warns the Brookings Institute in a TechTank blog by Nila Bala and Lars Trautman. Most recent news stories focus on the facial recognition technology’s mistakes. For example, the ACLU conducted a test of Amazon’s new technology “Rekognition,” and the software misidentified 28 members of Congress as having a previous criminal record. The Brookings Institute said privacy rights activists claim that in the near future … [Read more...] about Facial recognition technology poses privacy issues
Unite the People ballot initiative
In 2017, Unite the People, formerly known as We the People Org, began the process of writing a ballot initiative with a goal of releasing the nearly 3,000 Californians locked up for nonviolent third strikes under our State’s mandatory sentencing law. Although we lacked the time or financial resources to move our initiative to the ballot in time for the November 2018 elections, we started a powerful grass roots movement of dedicated volunteers and family members with loved ones who have been unjustly incarcerated. Our immediate objectives now … [Read more...] about Unite the People ballot initiative