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LEGISLATION AND POWER BUILDING
STATEWIDE CHANGE COMES FROM GRASSROOTS POWER
That’s why DPN anchors the Care First California Coalition, which fights for abolition at the state level, with a focus on ending pretrial incarceration. Thousands of those held in California jails are still legally innocent, often because they cannot afford bail.
Care First California develops policy and legislation that aim to end money bail, reject risk assessments, reduce the number of people eligible for pretrial incarceration, and develop community based pretrial services that are completely independent of law enforcement. When we invest in the resources our communities need such as housing, rehabilitation, and mental health treatment, we can interrupt the cycle of violence caused by incarceration and criminalization.
HISTORY OF THE FIGHT
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Through statewide coalition building, grassroots organizing, and advocacy led by those most impacted.
we continue to:
- Create public education materials in the form of mini-documentaries, reports, social media content, and presentations to bring awareness to the harmful effects of pretrial incarceration and the power of investing in alternatives.
- Lobby for pieces of legislation aligned with PPI principles while preparing to move forward the PPI agenda in the next legislative cycle.
- Collaborate with counties such as Sacramento, Kern, Orange County, San Diego, and Riverside on press events and screenings.
- Participate in state conferences on alternative pretrial systems, and in coordinated days of legislative action.
- Care First California’s regional satellite, Care First Kern, is talking with the Kern County Public Defender’s office to assemble a list of pretrial resources, and inform a policy campaign in the county with the highest rate of law enforcement violence in the country.
Hear directly from community members and leaders who have experienced the harm of pretrial incarceration and the transformational power of care-based alternatives. Their voices shape this campaign and drive it forward.
Dominique Davis
“It was just so many loops to jump through to receive treatment. You really need someone who’s going to fight for you, and I think that’s one of the things that wasn’t provided on that aspect of probation.
Peer support is where it’s at. We need more formerly incarcerated counselors. We need more formerly incarcerated therapists in addiction studies. All those types of services."
Director for Young Women’s Free Center and formerly incarcerated pretrial speaking in CFC mini documentary Probation-Led Pretrial is Mass Incarceration
more care, less cages
We are hard at work building and implementing policies across the state. Together, we can dismantle harmful systems of incarceration and pretrial incarceration—and build something better.
A lot of the legislative work we do happens in the Care First California coalition space.
We invite you to learn how to get involved.
Uncovering the Truth Behind In-Custody Deaths
- Through a series of PRA requests to the BSCC, Attorney General, and Sheriff Departments, CFC has gathered, analyzed, and created a series of in-custody deaths reports with previously unavailable data.
Some of our findings are:- 84% of in-custody deaths occur before their case is resolved.
- Since 2011 jail populations have decreased 12%, while in-custody deaths have increased
- In Los Angeles, 71% of in-custody deaths occur pretrial.
- Approximately 41% of all people detained in Riverside jails have an open mental health case.
- CFC completed omnibus legislation the Preserving the Presumption of Innocence Act.
- CFC hosted Los Angeles In-Custody Deaths Town Hall with new BSCC Director of In-Custody Deaths Review Allison Ganter.
- The 2-hour virtual town hall had over 60 people including researchers, lawyers, directly impacted community members, and other Sheriff oversight personnel in attendance.
