Help us close CYA!

PLEASE FORWARD ** PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY ** PLEASE FORWARD

It's an extremely exciting time for us here at Books Not Bars. We've done what no
one thought we could: sponsored legislation to close the CYA! Assembly Speaker Pro
Tempore Sally Lieber (D-San Jose) has introduced AB 1655. This bill would get rid
of California's Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ—formerly called the CYA) in two
years! It would provide that counties should get money to serve youth locally.

We're dizzy with excitement, but we need your help. This bill will go nowhere if it
doesn't pass the Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing this Tuesday, April 24.
Legislators need to hear from YOU that closing DJJ is essential for our youth, their
families, and the public. Please sign our petition TODAY, and ask your family and
friends in California to sign on, too.

http://www.ellabakercenter.org/closecyapetition

Tell lawmakers that DJJ is an expensive waste of young lives and our tax money.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have poured into reform efforts that have gone
nowhere. DJJ was first ordered to revamp itself 3 years ago. But as recently as
late February, California's Inspector General reported that DJJ still locks kids up
for 21 or more hours a day, and offers almost no education or counseling.
California must move to the Missouri model of small, treatment centers that actually
help youth, instead of adding damage to damage.

Your signature and comments will show lawmakers that Californians are with us in
demanding better for our youth. AB 1655 would make history as the first step in
transforming the one of the nation's worst juvenile corrections systems. Be a part
of that history. Sign the petition today!

Background:

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile
Justice (DJJ) has been the center of scandal for decades. Its eight enormous,
isolated, violence-racked prisons are notoriously unable to rehabilitate youth. In
the 2004 Farrell v. Tilton lawsuit against the DJJ, the court ordered extensive
reforms of "virtually every aspect of the State juvenile justice system." However,
the state's Inspector General reported in February of this year that DJJ continues
to fail the youth at its largest facility, Heman G. Stark. The Inspector
catalogued persistent dangers that were first identified two years ago, including
lockup of youth for 21 hours or more daily, little to no education or counseling
services, and "an environment conducive to suicide attempts." In the past three
years, five young people have died while under DJJ's care, underscoring the urgency
of DJJ's continuing crisis.

Despite the Farrell-mandated reforms and a shrinking youth population inside,
violence in DJJ facilities continues to rise. Last year, Governor Schwarzenegger
allocated over $100 million for DJJ reform, but the Division failed to make
significant strides. This year, the Governor cut funding for reform in the 2007-08
budget and proposed to transfer almost half of DJJ's current population back to the
counties. At this point, hope for reforming the existing system appears to be all
but lost. The time for a completely new approach is now.
AB 1655 would open the way for a locally and regionally controlled system that has
proven itself in eleven different states. These states have adopted a therapeutic
mental health approach to juvenile justice, closed their antiquated "training
school" prisons, and regionalized services across the juvenile justice continuum.
Missouri, for example, closed their youth prisons in the 1970's and today has one of
the highest success rates in the country. Missouri's youth recidivism rate is only
15.7%, compared to California's 74%. Furthermore, the price tag for programs in
these states is lower than California's. Missouri, for example, spends only $26,811
per youth compared to California's $216,081 proposed annual expenditure per youth.

* * * * *

* The Ella Baker Center can't survive without the support of people like you.
Please take a moment to support us today:
http://www.ellabakercenter.org/donate

* Not on our list-serve yet? (Maybe this message was forwarded to you.)
Sign up to get e-mail updates directly by going to
http://www.ellabakercenter.org/subscribe