Does your criminal record stop you from getting or keeping a job? Has your application for student loans or housing been denied? Did you know you may be entitled to vote; to have a felony reduced to a misdemeanor? Don’t miss this workshop.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
6 to 7 p.m.
4335 Virginia Avenue, Oakland, Ca. 94619
(At the Miracles of Faith Church off High St.)
Workshop Presenter, V. Serina Rankins, East Bay Community Law Center
For more information, contact Family Advocates:
Rachelle Brown – 510-615-5925, Jackie Jackson – 510-615-5736,
Carolyn Cornelius-Wilkins – 510-261-1430
Sponsored by the City of Oakland Head Start/Early Head Start Program
Legislative hearings for AB 109 fixes begin; counties propose jail expansion; SF establishes sentencing commission
ACLU reveals county realignment plans rely heavily on jail expansion; pretrial services bill passes senate sub-committee despite bail industry opposition; SF appoints Sentencing Commission members
On April 24, the Senate public safety sub-committee voted to approve SB 1180 (Hancock), a bill that would expand county sheriffs’ ability to release detainees on “own recognizance” pending resolution of their cases. CJCJ supports this bill and provided written testimony at the hearing. SB1180 was prompted by concern for county jail overcrowding following the implementation of AB 109 in October last year. Currently 71% of California jail space is occupied by un-sentenced inmates (well above the state average), but this could change as counties assume the responsibility for housing convicted low-level offenders for the duration of their sentences.
For more information on these subjects and the new main location of CJCJ’s office click HERE
San Francisco’s Arrest Rates of African Americans for Drug Felonies Worsens
County realignment plans revealed
Adult realignment and the county jail building boom
San Francisco’s Local Sentencing Commission
SF Human Rights Commission hearing on impact of drug war reveals radically discriminatory arrest practices
House Funding Bill Includes $70 million for Second Chance Act
This week the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, and Science released their fiscal year 2013 justice funding bills. In the House, appropriators proposed $70 million for the Second Chance Act, an increase of $7 million from the FY12 funding level. Senate appropriators included $25 million in their bill, while also proposing $6 million for the Justice Reinvestment initiative. The robust funding provided for the Second Chance Act and Justice Reinvestment Initiative reflects continued congressional support for prisoner reentry and recidivism reduction efforts.
Read the full article here.
$9 Million Slated for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act in 2013
House and Senate Appropriators released their fiscal year 2013 justice funding bills this week. Responding to continued congressional support for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), both the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science and the Senate Appropriations Committee provided robust funding for the program, proposing $9 million in FY13.
Read the full article here.
CSG Justice Center Holds Congressional Staff Briefing on Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses
Law enforcement officials, judicial leaders, and behavioral health experts came together on March 6 to brief Congressional staff on MIOTCRA and the collaborative criminal justice-mental health programs that it supports.
Read the full article here.
This bill would provide that a city, county, or city and county agency may not inquire into an applicant’s criminal history or include such an inquiry in their initial application for employment. The bill also provides that the agency may consider an applicant’s criminal history after the applicant’s job qualifications have been screened and the agency has determined the applicant’s qualifications meet the requirements for the position.
To see the entire Fact Sheet click HERE
