In this issue:
- Proposition 47 and Crime in 2015: A County-Level Analysis
- CJCJ Executive Director awarded Juvenile Advocate of the Year
- Dedicated CJCJ youth mentors featured in major news outlet
CJCJ’s new report finds that drops in prison and jail populations did not correlate with crime rates in 2015
Ken Teegardin | creativecommons.org
A new research report by CJCJ’s Mike Males and Erica Webster examines the impact of Proposition 47 on crime in California, one year after its implementation. The analysis concludes that there is no correlation between rates of Prop 47-related prison releases or jail population decreases and county crime.
The report compares percentage changes in county-level crime rates to Prop 47-related releases from state prison and changes in county jails’ average daily populations pre- and post-Prop 47. While statewide crime in California generally increased from 2014 to 2015, though burglaries decreased by 4 percent, crime at the county level showed much more fluctuation, with some counties experiencing a decrease in overall crime.
The data show that reductions in prison and jail populations did not correspond with similar increases in a county’s violent or property crime rates. In fact, counties with similar rates of reduction in their prison and jail populations experienced widely variant crime trends. At present, available data for 2015 continue to suggest that there is no correlation between post-Prop 47 reductions in prison and jail populations and crime.
Read the report “Proposition 47 and Crime in 2015: A County-Level Analysis” »
For more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with the authors, please contact CJCJ Communications at cjcjmedia@cjcj.org.
CJCJ Executive Director awarded Juvenile Advocate of the YearThe Pacific Juvenile Defender Center honored CJCJ’s Executive Director Daniel Macallair for his over 30 years of service to youth in the justice system
On September 17th, CJCJ’s Executive Director Daniel Macallair was recognized by the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center (PJDC) for his decades of work in the field of juvenile justice. At PJDC’s 13th Annual Roundtable Conference, Macallair was honored with the Juvenile Advocate of the Year Award for 2016, and also provided the keynote address on the “History of the California Youth Authority and Lessons Not Learned.”
In his speech, Macallair detailed some of the findings of his new book After the Doors Were Locked: A History of Youth Corrections in California and the Origins of 21st Century Reform. He gave a brief history of California’s state youth corrections system, now the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), and the abuses and violence that have characterized these facilities from 1890 to present day. He also provided context for the cycles of reform that have taken place over the past century, but which subsequently failed to create safe institutions for California’s youth.
Daniel Macallair and CJCJ have focused on California’s youth corrections institutions since our organization’s inception. Recently, CJCJ released a report providing updated information on the state of DJJ titled Failure After Farrell: Violence and Inadequate Mental Health Care in California’s Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The report finds that, despite the numerous reforms detailed in After the Doors Were Locked, California’s state youth corrections system remains plagued by increasing violence, pervasive gang culture, and deficient mental health treatment.
Purchase After the Doors Were Locked » Read Failure After Farrell: Violence and Inadequate Mental Health Care in California’s Division of Juvenile Justice » Dedicated CJCJ youth mentors featured in major news outletThe Christian Science Monitor conducted interviews with CJCJ’s Youth Justice Mentoring Program staff, volunteers and youth clients
Jessica Mendoza/Christian Science Monitor
On September 29th, the Christian Science Monitor published an article featuring the staff, volunteer mentors, and youth clients of CJCJ’s Youth Justice Mentoring Program (YJM), illustrating the positive impact that caring adults can have on youth.
YJM serves youth aged 11 – 19 who are detained in San Francisco Juvenile Hall and are at-risk of further justice involvement. CJCJ pairs gender-responsive and culturally appropriate volunteer mentors and CJCJ staff mentors with currently detained youth to provide weekly mentoring support for at least one year, both in detention and in the community upon release.
The article, “From juvenile detention to straight A’s, with the help of a mentor,” follows two CJCJ youth clients and their YJM mentors. One client, Isabella, described the impact being able to rely on her CJCJ mentor, Yessenia. “The other adults I have, they leave me. And then they come back. It’s kind of hard. Yessenia’s always there for me. Like when I need help, when I need someone to talk to, I hit her up.”
Youth in YJM often lack consistency in their lives, which is why CJCJ mentors must commit to at least a year with the program. In the article, Director of Juvenile Justice Services Kimo Uila states this reliability has a huge impact on young people, and CJCJ’s clients agree. About his volunteer mentor, one youth said, “He’s always been there for me.”
Donate to support youth mentoring »Learn more about the Youth Justice Mentoring Program (YJM) »
GET INVOLVED!