The Hug Act is Now on Gov. Gavin Newsom's Desk. But will He Sign It?

When mothers visit their children in juvenile facilities across California, they must pass through x-ray machines, scanners, drug sniffing dogs and, in some cases, humiliating strip searches, only to be denied an opportunity to hug their child during the visit.
Assembly Bill 1646, also known as The Hug Act, could soon change all that. It made it through the Legislature, but will Gov. Gavin Newsom sign it?

“This is a really important bill to me and the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color,” said Assemblymember Issac Bryan during an emotional statement on the Assembly floor.
The Hug Act would require juvenile facilities across California to allow youth in custody to engage in appropriate consensual physical contact with visitors during in-person visits, including hugging and holding hands.

The bill was inspired by Bryan’s visit to the Los Padrinos juvenile facility in Downey, where a group of young people approached him and told him that a hug could change their lives. “They wrote this legislation while incarcerated in that juvenile hall and asked if we would take it to Sacramento and turn it into a law,” said Bryan.

For families separated by juvenile incarceration, the Hug Act represents something bigger than a change in visitation policies. Supporters say it is about restoring an essential part of family connection: the ability to physically touch, hug and embrace someone you love. A hug can often communicate what words cannot, according to the bill’s supporters.

Numerous scientific studies have proven that human touch is a biological necessity. It regulates stress, lowers blood pressure, and boosts immune function. The lack of touch in correctional facilities raises severe health concerns.

“Their parents, especially their mothers, hopped on buses and came to Sacramento all year and testified in Public Safety Committees,” said Bryan, describing the efforts of the young people and their families who authored the bill. “They were nervous. They were scared. But they never stop believing they could make a difference.”

Arthur Jackson, who is incarcerated at San Quentin, remembers his time at Los Padrinos in 1983. “ I support the Hug Act and hope the governor signs it,” said Jackson. “We didn’t get hugs when I was there. I believe children and young adults need appropriate human contact. That is a basic human need and it sets the stage for them to become good people in the world.”

While at the Los Padrinos facility, Jackson participated in “gladiator fights,” the term used to describe prison fights that erupt between rival gang members forced to integrate into small spaces together. “Juvenile hall was a place where I was forced to fight to protect myself and these fights were often encouraged by staff members,” said Jackson. “The winners were celebrated. These fights fulfill our needs for acceptance and connection, but they also put us on a trajectory to prison.”

Gladiator fights are still common at the facility after more than 40 years. In March of 2025, 30 Los Angeles County Probation Officers were criminally charged for allegedly staging and encouraging at least 69 gladiator fights among 143 youth at Los Padrinos. There have also been numerous sexual assault allegations from many past residents at Los Padrinos and other facilities, which have led to a class-action lawsuit that recently was settled for a historic $4 billion.

But despite decades of trouble and trauma at these youth facilities, some still oppose the Hug Act. Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) Legislative Director Danielle Sanchez submitted written opposition to the bill for the June 23, 2026, Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety: “We are opposed unless amended to remove the language on making nonsexual contact a right and instead approach it from the perspective of requiring policies on contact during visitation, remove prescribed reference to hand holding and updating the safety and security language to ensure it reflects institutional operational realities for the safety of the youth, visitors and staff.”

If the governor signs AB 1646, it will mark a significant change in how California approaches physical contact in youth facilities. Rather than treating a hug as a privilege, the measure would make a hug essential to rehabilitation, maintaining family bonds and recognizing the humanity of children and teenagers who are temporarily separated from their loved ones.

“Those young people and their parents have pushed this legislation all the way to the finish line,” said Bryan. Gov. Newsom will now get the last word.