Books Not Bars

In celebration of Black History Month, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and other community leaders hosted the 2nd Annual African American Organizations Making Connections “Strategies and Outcomes for Our Black Community” event on Saturday.

Justice for Families and the DataCenter will release a new research report, Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice.

With the passage of Wednesday budget, the state stands to save hundreds of millions of dollars — and save juveniles in the state's youth correctional system years of  incarceration. The Ella Baker Center has worked tirelessly for the past few years to bring an end to this harmful practice. KPCC's Rina Palta talks with Sumayyah Waheed of the Ella Baker Center about this important victory. 

Dangerous Time Adds Provision No Longer Allowed in California Youth Prisons, Impacting 1,000 Youth

This Los Angeles Times editorial shows strong support for our bill (SB 1363) that would limit the use of solitary confinement in California's youth prisons.

Over 10,000 people joined a popular campaign on Change.org in partnership with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, demanding improved living conditions at a California youth prison.

...introduction of legislation in California that would make the maximum penalty for possession of drugs for personal use one year in county jail rather than the current three years.

I've been working on issues of police accountability, locked-up youth, violence, and community investment for a long time. Sometimes I think that no example of injustice could still surprise me. I was recently proved wrong.

Complaints by both a current ward at Ventura and the Ella Baker Human Rights Center in San Francisco include charges of overuse of solitary confinement — a previously documented practice — filthy showers, toilets that overflow and leak and air vents that smell like sewage.