California Budget and Legislation

Owen Li of the Ella Baker Center’s Books Not Bars, "Youth prison has become a stepping stone for adult prison. We should not throw away youth."

Some advocates say the California state youth agency has been so bad for so long that it should be scrapped for good. "Right now we're dooming them all to certain hell." says Jakadi Imani, executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland.

En total, California tiene 1,234 presos juveniles, más de la mitad hispanos y un cuarto de ellos de Los Ángeles.

Bill Ensures State is Keeping its Promise of Environmental Justice

Gov. Jerry Brown's bid to abolish the state youth prison system could save hundreds of millions of dollars and quicken the pace of reform at county facilities. But the changes could remove important barriers that keep some juvenile offenders out of adult prisons.

Seven years ago, the Ella Baker Center's Books Not Bars Campaign started calling for closing California's youth prisons. People laughed in our faces. Literally. Even reformers who agreed in private, thought we were foolish to call for shuttering the largest set of youth prisons in the country.

Seven Year Battle For DJJ Closure Hits Milestone With Governor’s Announcement