Clean slate and resentencing laws take shape across U.S.
New Clean Slate and resentencing laws are gaining traction across the United States and paving the way for future criminal justice reform. These laws aim to automatically seal or expunge certain criminal records and effectively remove barriers that follow a person long after a prison sentence, according to an article written by Bryan Driscoll in … [Read More...]
Stacked charges and mandatory minimums add up
A U.S. district judge gave Frederick Turner a 40-year sentence because the laws around stacked charges and mandatory minimums didn’t allow him discretion to change the punishment, according to an article by Clark Neily in Free Society. Turner’s charges were “two counts related to dealing methamphetamine and two counts of possessing a … [Read More...]
Crime bills a step back in reform measures
The Sentencing Project has raised an alarm over proposed legislation that would override local control of criminal sentencing in the District of Columbia. The Strong Sentences for Safer D.C. Streets Act is among the bills moving through the legislative process. It would provide that those convicted of first-degree murder face a mandated sentence … [Read More...]
Several policies add to disproportionate Black prison population
A history of heavy policing and sentencing practices has left California’s Black population overly represented in the prison system. Black people are a minority in California, comprising just six percent of the state’s population, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. This is compared to 40% of Latinos and 34% of Whites … [Read More...]
Resentencing report brings hope to some
Mass-incarceration has done irreparable harm to California’s population. On the rollercoaster of hope and despair, The Second Look Movement delivered incarcerated persons a measure of optimism by lobbying for resentencing. Such lobbying has paid off for many persons incarcerated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The … [Read More...]
U.S. Department of Justice discusses transgender gun rights
Firearm ban could impact correctional officer's job with CDCR The right of transgender individuals to possess firearms is under discussion at the Justice Department due to a recent shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The shooter, a transgender woman, killed two children and injured 21 others, including … [Read More...]
U.S. in a state of hyper-incarceration
Despite ongoing efforts in some states to reduce the prison population, the U.S. remains in a state of hyper-incarceration. Some estimate a current incarceration rate of between 600 to 700 people per 100,000, according to a Vanderbilt Law School article by Nate Luce. Returning to a preventive justice approach may reduce the U.S. incarceration rate, … [Read More...]
Prosecutor-initiated resentencing expands to Republican-led state
Justice reform continued to take shape out West as Utah became the first Republican-led state to implement Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing. “A prosecutor has a vested interest to make certain that anyone released under their authority does not reoffend. Who better to make sure there is not a mistake in judgment?” said San Quentin resident … [Read More...]
Danny Trejo visits San Quentin
Actor, restaurateur, and activist Danny Trejo and producer David Enabnit visited San Quentin to gather information and talk to residents about an upcoming documentary titled "Trial by Fire." Trejo, who has a connection to San Quentin, talked about his experience in several fire camps from the Rockies to the Sierra and prisons including Folsom, … [Read More...]
Data debunks misleading information as crime rates are down since 2020
Policing based on false data, misleading information, and executive policies may have caused crime to increase in the United States. In 2019–20 the U.S. had experienced a significant increase in crime rates, as murder rose to its highest peak since 1960. Police brutality may have enabled criminal behavior, but in the eyes of U.S. citizens it … [Read More...]
Life-term residents await release after suitability
Positive programming, accountability, and suitability not enough to release term-to-life residents no longer a threat to public safety San Quentin residents serving a life term have been approved for release, but litigation has kept them in custody; as a result, two lifers share their views on rehabilitation and good time credits. In 2016, … [Read More...]
Penal Code revision committee exposes racial disparities with ‘Three Strikes’ law
Three decades after Californians voted "yes" on Proposition 184, more commonly known as "Three Strikes" law, the racist ramifications of that vote are now being exposed. In 2021, the Committee on Revision of the Penal Code published its annual report, which included data that shows 33,000 people in prison are serving a sentence enhanced by the … [Read More...]
Concerns over birthright citizenship impact residents’ mental states
A wave of discussion traveled through San Quentin Rehabilitation Center as residents learned that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship. If Congress wished to end birthright citizenship, it could do so by amending the constitution, which would require ratification by … [Read More...]
Nueva propuesta de ley AB1231
La nueva propuesta de ley AB 1231 ofrecerá una segunda oportunidad a personas con crimines considerados no violentos. Los legisladores del estado de California están considerando en aprobar un proyecto de ley adonde personas arrestados puedan participar en programas de rehabilitación en lugar de ser sentenciados a prisión. De acuerdo a una … [Read More...]
Civic Engagement Group, Ella Baker Center advocate for access to Racial Justice Act information
The Civic Engagement Group hosted a Racial Justice Act event in collaboration with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Panels showed the attendees how to access additional information. According to Morgan Zamora, a Prison Advocacy manager for the Ella Baker Center, events like this have importance because they brought residents up to speed … [Read More...]
Orden Ejecutiva remueve fondos para traducciones en diferentes idiomas
El pasado primero de marzo, el Presidente de los EE.UU. Donald J. Trump, firmó una orden ejecutiva en donde oficializa el Inglés como el “idioma oficial”, orden que afecta a miles de personas, familiares de encarcelados y no encarcelados quienes no leen, escriben o hablan dicho idioma. Trump, a través de su mandato da a las agencias … [Read More...]
Nuevos proyectos de reformas para el sistema encarcelado en el estado de Pennsylvania
Pensilvania aprueba leyes para reformar el sistema de libertad condicional y permite a los tribunales sellar más antecedentes penales. Según la Prensa Asociada. De acuerdo a la publicación, en Pensilvania se puede ocultar más antecedentes penales de la vista del público y menos personas podrían permanecer en libertad condicional o en cárceles … [Read More...]
Palm Springs approves $27 million reparations package for Black, Latino families
Palm Springs, Calif., officials have approved a $27 million reparations package for Black and Latino families displaced in the 1960s. The agreement addressed the leveling of a predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods, known as Section 14, in order to make way for more commercial development in the city. According to the Oakland Post, … [Read More...]
Apelando por la libertad en corte ― Prop. 57
La Audiencias de Libertad Condicional (BPH por sus siglas en inglés) dio una actualización de la demanda en contra de la Proporción 57. De acuerdo al informe, la Fundación Legal de Justicia Criminal mantiene una demanda desde diciembre del 2023 en contra del Departamento de Corrección y Rehabilitación de California. Esto … [Read More...]
Transgender community reacts to executive order
Dismay and concern over changes to transgender rights impacts incarcerated persons’ mental state Hours after taking the oath of office, newly-elected President Trump signed an executive order declaring the that the United States government will only recognize two biological sexes, according to the L.A. Times. The executive order … [Read More...]
Signed and vetoed bills impact incarcerated effective 2025
The following list are of bills signed or vetoed by the Governor of California and could have an impact on the SQ community. Here is what was signed or vetoed in September 2024: Signed bills: AB 1186 (Bonta) – Effective January 1, 2025, this bill will alleviate youth restitution fines older than 10 years. The bill also prevents the state … [Read More...]
Organization fights to repeal Three Strikes Law
The public may have lost interest in the efforts to repeal California’s controversial three strikes law, but the 30,000 second-strikers and the 7,000 third-strikers have not. In 2022, activists who are strongly opposed to the law ran into significant road blocks that stopped their efforts altogether. “We couldn’t get on the ballot,” said … [Read More...]
Second Look movement reassesses lengthy sentences
The phenomenon of mass incarceration changed criminal justice in important ways, particularly with sentencing policies. Ever younger defendants, treated as adults, received sentences that amounted to life. For many non-homicide crimes, courts handed out sentences longer than for homicide crimes. A report on “The Second Look Movement: A Review … [Read More...]
Act funds legal representation as a human right
6th Amendment of U. S. Constitution ensures criminal defendant's right to counsel The Criminal Justice Act provides funding for a person defending themselves in a federal case to safeguard the retention of legal representation. The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution ensures a federal criminal defendant’s right to defense counsel, … [Read More...]
Proposition 6 furthers slavery in prison, SQ residents say
In 2023, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 3089, which would act as California’s official apology for chattel slavery. AB 3089 provided that the State of California recognizes and accepts responsibility for all the harms and atrocities committed by the state and entities under its jurisdiction that facilitated and enforced the … [Read More...]