Introducing The Racial Justice Act & Racial Justice Act 4 All
California steps forward on racial justice! The California Racial Justice Act (RJA), first enacted in Assembly Bill 2542 (Kalra), extends civil rights in the courtroom to empower individuals to challenge racist conduct against them in their criminal court proceedings. Now, with its successor, Assembly Bill 256 (Kalra), signed into law in 2022, everyone can use the RJA to challenge racism in their California state convictions or sentences.
Does your loved one need resources in Spanish?
Learn more about RJA/RJA4All, review behavior that violates RJA, understand remedies available under RJA, and learn how to raise an RJA Habeas claim in our comprehensive guide. Sign up to receive your FREE guide today!
We hope the information in this Guide will help people advocate for themselves as they stand up to the racism they have endured in our criminal legal system. Please reach out to policy@ellabakercenter.org with questions or comments about the Guide or the Racial Justice Act 4 All.
Many folks are requesting assistance in collecting county-level data to support their initial RJA petitions. We understand that this information necessary to support your RJA claim is often difficult to obtain and we share your frustration. We hope that reviewing our RJA Guide and FAQ helps answer some of your questions. The ACLU has been using the California Public Records Act to request information from county District Attorneys throughout the state. Their webpage as well as some other currently available data resources are listed below.
Data Resources:
- ACLU Database
- Paper Prisons RJA Tool
- Stanford Three Strikes Project
- UCLA Special Circumstances Conviction Project (for those serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole)
- CA Department of Justice – Open Justice Dashboard
- California Supreme Court Case Search
- Police Misconduct Records Database
Watch the RJA Webinar
On August 1st Ella Baker Center for Human Rights lead a community call to share our newly published resource: RJA 4 ALL: Information About the Racial Justice Act 4 All (AB 256 – Kalra).
This webinar will help you learn more about the Racial Justice Act including the types of discriminatory behaviors that violate the Act and how and when to file a claim as well as receive updates on current legislation and implementation.
Mira el seminario web de LJR
El 13 de marzo, Ella Baker Centro de Derechos Humanos lideró una llamada comunitaria para compartir nuestro nuevo recurso publicado: LJR Para Todos: Información sobre la Ley de Justicia Racial para Todos (AB 256 – Kalra).
Este seminario web te ayudará a aprender más sobre la Ley de Justicia Racial, incluidos los tipos de comportamientos discriminatorios que violan la Ley y cómo y cuándo presentar una reclamación, además de recibir actualizaciones sobre la legislación actual y su implementación.
Watch the AB 1071 Webinar
To celebrate the passage of AB 1071 (Ash Kalra) Racial Justice Act: Court Procedures, the Ella Baker Center hosted a community webinar with our allies and bill cosponsors: American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, the California Public Defenders’ Association, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, Initiate Justice, Silicon Valley Debug, and USF School of Law.
Watch us reflect on the legislative wins of this year, share key updates on how this bill could impact your loved one’s case, and discuss the future of the Racial Justice Act.
Support the Racial Justice Act
The Racial Justice Act was introduced before the events that would shock us in 2020 – the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the racist killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. The Act passed because of the enlightenment sparked by those tragedies that carried people into the streets to demand better from our institutions. People-power demanded that we no longer tolerate racism in our systems of justice, and that opened the door for this bill to become reality.
With the RJA we proclaim that we can heal from our past by upholding respect for our shared humanity. By extending its protections retroactively, we affirm that our healing will leave no one behind. Support the RJA and those who it can help by donating to our implementation fund today.
Looking for additional community support in developing your RJA claim? Check out Silicon Valley DeBug’s webpage:
The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is proud to have worked with Asm. Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) and an incredible group of allies to pass this groundbreaking legislation, including the ACLU of California Action, American Friends Service Committee, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Initiate Justice, the League of Women Voters of California, and NextGen.
Check out the Ella Baker Center’s current and past state policy priorities: