In this issue:
- Next Generation Fellowship applications open to justice-involved advocates
- San Francisco reinvests funding from probation to community-based services
- CJCJ and community leaders support voting rights for Californians on parole
Next Generation Fellowship opportunity for justice-involved advocates
CJCJ and our partners at MILPA are excited to support the development of emerging leaders that have been directly impacted by the justice system.
The NGF program supports fifteen fellows through three 2‑day sessions over the span of six months. These lesson-packed sessions are facilitated by CJCJ and Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement (MILPA) to advance racial justice and cultural healing, and help fellows influence state and local government through policy advocacy.
Applications for the 2019 Next Generation Fellowship (NGF) are open! Do you know someone interested in policy advocacy who has been incarcerated or directly impacted by the justice system? They may be a great fit for the third-annual NGF, which provides leadership and policy advocacy training to California’s emerging leaders.
The fellowship is designed to support community advocates with various levels of experience and expertise! Apply today and join the movement to end mass incarceration while promoting healthy communities. NGF applications will be open until 11:59pm on Sunday, August 18, 2019.
Find out more about the Next Generation Fellowship »
San Francisco reinvests funding from probation to community services
The San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department budget comes under scrutiny amid broader juvenile justice reforms.
This year, San Francisco’s juvenile justice system is moving toward major reform. The Board of Supervisors recently voted to close its harmful juvenile hall to support youth through community programs rather than detention. This major move — spearheaded by Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Shamann Walton, and Matt Haney — has been accompanied by Mayor London Breed’s juvenile justice reform efforts through a Blue Ribbon Panel, which CJCJ Executive Director Daniel Macallair sits on among other community leaders.
Last month, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee discussed the Juvenile Probation Department (JPD) budget and ultimately reinvested $650,000 of the department’s $44 million budget to other city services for youth. CJCJ’s research supported this necessary re-evaluation of the JDP budget following drastic decreases in the number of youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
“Over time, as we cut the budget for juvenile hall… we still need those investments in the youth that need the most help in the system and we should be reinvesting that money in alternative interventions,” explained Supervisor Hillary Ronen at the June 26th meeting.
CJCJ commends the Budget and Finance Committee for investigating the JPD’s bloated budget and providing long-overdue scrutiny of its expenses to San Francisco’s communities.
Learn more about San Francisco’s leadership in juvenile justice reform »
CJCJ and city leaders support voting rights for Californians on parole
Community members rally around the “Free the Vote Act” to ensure fair and equal representation of voters involved in the justice system.
As CJCJ seeks to improve California’s juvenile and criminal justice systems, the agency supports legislation that reduces the negative impacts of mass incarceration on our communities. This year, CJCJ supports the “Free the Vote Act”, Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 6, which will allow California voters in the 2020 election to restore voting rights to people on parole.
Currently, formerly incarcerated individuals are allowed to vote in California, but this right is not extended to people still on parole. If passed, ACA 6 will support the civic engagement of nearly 50,000 people in the state who are on parole in the community.
This month, CJCJ joined community organizations and city leaders at San Francisco’s City Hall to support the “Free the Vote Act” and take a step toward ending voter disenfranchisement. Supervisor Matt Haney voiced his strong support, recognizing, “Tens of thousands of citizens of this state are being denied a fundamental right. We know that our democracy is stronger when everybody is a part of it.”
Learn more about CJCJ’s co-sponsored legislation »
CJCJ IS HIRING:
- Administrative Assistant
- Mental Health Clinician, Juvenile Justice Direct Services
- Policy Analyst, Policy and Communications Department
- Residential Support Staff, Part-Time/On-Call, Cameo House Program