By Sumayyah Waheed
HUGE NEWS- Governor Jerry Brown wants to close California’s youth prisons! On Monday, Governor Brown proposed to eliminate the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and fund counties to treat the youth instead. Books Not Bars has been calling for DJJ’s closure for seven years. And finally, Sacramento is listening.
Governor Brown has called his proposed budget “painful.” With deep cuts to vital human and health services, plus nearly $1.5 billion in cuts to higher education, the next few years will be challenging. Considering the cuts to these important programs, closing DJJ makes more sense now than ever. The DJJ drains our state budget of hundreds of millions of dollars each year and fails more than 8 out of 10 youth who are released from its prisons. We cannot afford to fund a wasteful, broken system that hurts our youth and worsens the deficit.
But the fight is not over. As we write this, opponents are already contacting lawmakers to urge them to oppose this crucial plan. Please send an email to legislative leaders and stand with us in urging lawmakers to close DJJ once and for all. We’ll also collect your signatures and deliver them to lawmakers. This is our chance to show Sacramento that the majority of Californians want a juvenile justice system that invests in youth, their families, and our communities—not miserable warehouses that just add damage to damage.
Courtesy of the Ella Baker Center
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