Criminal justice reform advocates unite behind Prop 6, oppose Prop 36 / Public News Service

Groups fighting for criminal justice reform are urging California voters to support Proposition Six and reject Proposition 36.

Prop. 36 would increase prison sentences for certain property and drug crimes and reverse parts of Prop. 47.

George Galvis, founder of the Oakland nonprofit CURYJ, which stands for Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, said the most commonly stolen items include baby formula and diapers.

“These are crimes of survival,” he said. “These things would be elevated to criminal offenses. If we’re spending $137,000 a year to lock people up, that really doesn’t make sense, as opposed to just investing in programs that are actually effective.”

Proponents of Prop. 36 argue that the current penalties established in Prop. 47 are too lenient. Prop. 47 redirects savings from lower prison costs into social programs that help formerly incarcerated people get back on their feet and address the root causes of crime, such as poverty and addiction.

Proposition 6 would amend the California Constitution to ban involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime – which would end forced prison labor. Galvis added that there is a connection between props. 6 and 36 – large chains that sell products made with prison labor.

“The largest contributors to Prop. 36: Walmart, Target and Home Depot are also the beneficiaries of Prop. 6 because they benefit from hiring prison labor. So this feels very much like a conflict of interest,” he claimed.

The chains supporting Prop. 36 have not spoken out against Prop. 6, to which there is no organized opposition.

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Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush has released the 2023-24 annual report for the state’s courts.

The report shows Indiana’s justice system is taking major steps to address the mental health crisis. The Supreme Court recently created the Office of Behavioral Health and hired Brittany Kelly as a behavioral health specialist. This makes Indiana the tenth state in the country to integrate a mental health professional into its judiciary.

“She is on the run. She has received hundreds of inquiries from across the state. She meets with judges,” Rush explained. “It helps with things like competency assessments, access to Medicaid, how do I get someone who has dementia through the court system?”

Rush noted that Kelly will help the courts address the mental health and substance issues that flood Indiana’s courtrooms daily. The latest report shows more than a million cases were heard in court last fiscal year, including nearly 20,000 involuntary mental health hearings and a sharp increase in domestic violence protective orders.

Rush pointed to the strain on local courts, noting that about 70% of people in prison have behavioral health problems.

“How do we make sure we have diversion programs in place? “How do we make sure that the services we commission people to provide are the right services?” Rush asked. “We’ve done a lot nationally on substance abuse and mental health and implemented programs that work.”

The judiciary works with government agencies to reform policy and address the impact of mental health problems on the system. Kelly has training in social work and law and helps connect judges with treatment resources to get people the support they need and keep them out of prison.

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Crime survivors are speaking out against Proposition 36, which goes before California voters in November.

The ballot measure would increase penalties for some thefts and drug crimes — and undo parts of Proposition 47, which created savings through reduced incarceration and put the money into harm reduction programs.

Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, spoke Wednesday at the opening of a new trauma recovery center in Oakland.

“It’s pushing the state to turn back to ‘tough on crime.'” We’re pushing against that. “You must prioritize resources to establish trauma recovery centers because that is the only way we can create safety in our community,” Hollins said.

Proponents of Prop. 36 say current laws are too lenient, particularly when it comes to retail theft. But the state legislative analyst has suggested that Prop. 36 will send many more people to prison, increasing criminal justice costs to between tens of millions and low hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Hollins said that would mean less money for programs that actually address poverty and desperation — the root cause of crime.

“People who have been impacted by incarceration, people who are experiencing homelessness, people who are facing barriers to employment can actually receive a wide range of stabilization services,” Hollins added. “Think about how impactful this will be if we can continue to expand this model.”

Supporters of Prop. 36 estimate it would mean $850 million less over the next decade for trauma recovery centers, mental health, drug treatment, victim services, reintegration and crime prevention programs.

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Groups across Alabama are banding together to advocate for major changes to what they say is the state’s flawed parole system.

In a panel discussion led by the Alabama Values ​​group, speakers focused on improving the parole process and addressing its broader implications.

John Woods, who was repeatedly denied parole for ten years, told his story. He said the system creates a sense of hopelessness, not only for those behind bars but also for their families, and recounted a recent conversation with another person who is still waiting for a chance at parole.

“He said, ‘I go out into the community every day and work a real job,'” Woods explained. “He said, ‘I go home every two weeks.’ He said, “I haven’t done anything and I’ve been there for seven years. He said, ‘What more can you get out of me on a work release?'”

Although work release programs have proven that many individuals do not pose a threat to public safety, panelists noted that few are granted parole. The most recent report from the Alabama Department of Corrections showed state prison capacity is more than double what was planned. Overcrowding combined with increasing violence has increased concerns.

Katie Glenn, policy fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, cited the parole board’s inconsistent application of its own policies as a major problem.

“The guidelines that the parole board uses, if actually followed, would allow about 70% of people up for parole to be paroled,” Glenn claimed. “I think now we’re seeing numbers that are maybe in the order of 20%.”

Alison Mollman, interim legal director for the ACLU of Alabama, suggested adopting parole models from other states to make improvements, including providing virtual attendance at parole hearings and reducing long wait times between hearings.

“In Alabama, you can be fined – or have to wait for another parole hearing – up to five years,” Mollman emphasized. “That’s a really, really long time, and I think we hear a lot in the Legislature that they want to move things around so that everyone has to wait five years. But in states like Louisiana, most people wait a year.”

Mollman also advocates for gradual release programs to reintegrate people in structured periods, as well as restorative justice practices that allow some offenders to seek reconciliation with victims. The next opportunity for the Alabama Legislature to address parole system issues is its 2025 session.

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