#CHAMP47 Removes Barriers
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Is a felony preventing
you from moving forward in your life?
Increasingly, a proportion of people in the United States,
especially from lower income communities and people of color, has been
increasingly marginalized in civic and political life. For most people with
felony convictions, civil rights and privileges are unimaginably
obtainable. Studies have shown that gaining employment and promotions
continue to become more challenging. In addition, to limited
resources, access to benefits, the right to vote and adequate
housing are only a few socio-economical and disenfranchised consequences
you may be faced with.
CHAMP 47 (Creating Healthy Alternatives Mobilizing Prop. 47),
an initiative of Time For Change Foundation created to implement Proposition 47 gives hope to our
community that you can live a sustaining and prosperous life after incarceration.
The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, which was approved by voters in
November 2014 and CHAMP 47 campaign will help to improve our communities’
quality of life and restore our families.
U.S. Sen. and 2016 Presidential
Candidate Rand Paul (R) praised "PROP 47 does have
the potential to help tens of thousands of Californians gain their freedom
and work towards rebuilding their lives. The sooner individuals with
qualifying convictions take action to reduce their sentences, the greater the
impact of this law will be."
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Showing posts with label The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2016
FREE Help with Felony Removal
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Extend Prop 47 Bill!
Are you aware that Proposition 47 (The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act) has a time limitation? Also, are you aware that there are at least 1 million Californians that may be eligible under Proposition 47 to change their felony convictions?
Well, just in case the awareness is not there, Proposition 47 can do a numerous amount of good for non-violent criminals, only if it is allowed to do so.
Furthermore, Proposition 47 (The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act) will be coming to a complete halt in November 2017, if AB 2765 (Weber) does not get amended to extend the bill, or eliminate the Proposition 47 deadline to petition for a sentence reduction.
Most important, AB 2765 (Weber) was introduced on February 19, 2016, to extend the Proposition 47 bill time limitation for petitioning, and is required to have 2/3 votes of the Legislature to amend the act.
In fact, since then, the bill has passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a vote of 5 to 2, on April 19, 2016, and will now proceed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Congratulations, AB 2765 (Weber)!!!!!
Altogether, let's make sure that we support this bill, and provide the pertinent information to the population of people that this bill can truly have an impact on.
We have to band together for this!
By:
Porscha N. Dillard
Special Project Coordinator
Time For Change Foundation
Monday, February 15, 2016
Analyst estimates $100 million more in Prop. 47 savings than Brown
The initiative required the savings be used for mental health, drug treatment, truancy and victim services. In a report issued Friday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated that the first deposit should be about $100 million more than what the state Department of Finance has accounted for.
In his January budget proposal, Brown set aside $29.3 million for the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund – $62.7 million in savings from inmate and caseload reduction, minus $33.4 million for resentencing and increased parole capacity.
The vast gap is mainly due to different methods for calculating prison costs. Thousands of inmates have been resentenced and released from state facilities under Proposition 47, pushing California’s overcrowded corrections system just under a court-mandated capacity.
Brown’s budget estimates that the average daily inmate population is about 4,700 fewer this year because of the law. But the Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that, to stay below capacity levels, most of those potential prisoners would have had to be contracted out to beds in other states, which would have set the state back an additional $83 million.
The LAO also said the governor is likely underestimate the savings from fewer felony cases being filed and overestimating the cost of reclassifying the records of former offenders who already served out their felony terms.
Via: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article60119951.html
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Proposition 47 Community Forum
Proposition 47 Community Forum
YOU’RE INVITED!
Prop 47 Community Forum: Progressives’ Role in Implementation
WHEN: Sunday JANUARY 25, 2015
1:00 – 5:30 pm
WHERE: Golden Gate University School of Law
536 Mission Street in San Francisco, Room 2201
(BART to Montgomery Street Station)
** 2.5 Hours MCLE credit for attorneys **
Panel discussions and breakout sessions, featuring: formerly incarcerated people, public defenders, legal service providers, advocates for prison abolition & civil rights
- What’s the most comprehensive implementation model for Proposition 47 outreach?
- Where do we go from here for large-scale criminal justice change?
- How do we work with or around people who oppose change in our post-47 world?
- How do we build the most inclusive movement we can for future success?
2:15-3:30 ”Building An Inclusive Movement.” Lenore Anderson of Californians for Safety & Justice, Prof. Cynthia Chandler of Golden Gate University, Manuel La Fontaine of All Of Us Or None, Laura Magnani of American Friends Service Committee, Natasha Minsker of American Civil Liberties Union, Lynne Lyman of Drug Policy Alliance. Moderator Dorsey Nunn of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.
3:45-4:45 BREAKOUT SESSION “Cultivating A Network Of Unlikely Allies,” with facilitator Gopal Dayaneni of Progressive Communicators Network.
3:45-4:45 BREAKOUT SESSION “Next Steps Towards Change,” with facilitator Harriette Davis of All Of Us Or None.
4:45-5:30 Wrap-up & light refreshments
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Proposition 47 Passes!
Proposition 47 lowers penalties for some nonviolent, low-level offenses and in doing so gives women and men a fair chance to rebuild their lives. Penalties for six low-level offenses will be reduced from potential felonies to misdemeanors, shortening the time people spend behind bars.
At the same time Proposition 47 saves the state money, as high as $1.25 billion in the first five years. Those savings will be allocated to K-12 after school programs, mental health and substance abuse treatment programs and victim services programs.
Why did we support this proposition? Because Proposition 47 supports women. Women are more likely to have been convicted of a crime involving drugs or property, just the offenses covered by this initiative. In California, women are three times more likely to be in prison for forgery or fraud and twice as likely for petty theft.
Our research also shows that women suffer disproportionately upon release from prison. Our recent report Bias Behind Bars revealed that, compared to men, women incarcerated for felonies are less likely to obtain public benefits and find stable housing. Despite the low risk women with criminal records for nonviolent crimes pose to public safety, women also have more difficulty finding employment upon release. This is due to the over representation of women in the fields of retail, childcare and home health care—all fields where criminal records are of great concern. Some states legally bar those with criminal records from working with children and seniors. Fields that tend to be male-dominated, such as construction and manufacturing, generally are focused less on employees’ backgrounds.
The harmful effects of a felony charge extend beyond women’s lives to those of their families. Today, six out of 10 women behind bars are mothers of minors. Thousands of children are growing up without a mother at home to fix their meals, get them ready for school or contribute to the family income. While mothers are languishing in prison, children are languishing at home.
So how does Proposition 47 work? It changes six non-violent, low-level offenses (such as simple drug possession, petty theft and writing a bad check) from felonies to misdemeanors. Of course, women and men who commit these offenses would be held accountable for their actions… but they would not be considered felons, would avoid the stigma that comes with that charge, would serve in county jails closer to home and closer to their children and, because their sentences would be shorter, they would be reunited with their families sooner.
We wanted to acknowledge our Race, Gender and Human Rights (RGHR) giving circle for supporting Proposition 47 from the get-go by funding the organizing and outreach efforts by the Californians for Safe Neighborhoods and Schools.
The mission of RGHR is to promote human rights and racial and gender justice by challenging the criminal justice system and its use of mass incarceration in California.
via: http://womensfoundationofcalifornia.org/proposition-47-passes/
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
From the California Budget Project: Parental Incarceration Is Bad for Children’s Health
“Family unity and stability have profound impacts on children’s lifelong health,” according to a health impact assessment of Proposition 47 released today by Human Impact Partners (HIP), a nonprofit that analyzes the effects of current and proposed public policies on community health. Proposition 47, “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” will appear on the November 4 statewide ballot and would reduce California’s reliance on incarceration for nonviolent crimes.
HIP’s study estimates that over 10,000 children could be affected by the measure due to a resentencing option for parents who are currently incarcerated. Moreover, as many as 5,800 children a year may not have to see their parent go to prison for a nonviolent crime in the future.
The CBP’s own analysis of Proposition 47, released earlier this month, discussed the negative health impact of incarceration on individuals and their communities. As parents experience periods of incarceration, their children can be exposed to persistent poverty, food insecurity, frequent relocations, and repeated abandonment. This often leads to childhood behavioral difficulties, lower academic test scores, and an increased likelihood of contact with the juvenile justice system.
Incarcerating parents increases children’s likelihood of developing health problems, even when other risk factors — such as chronic poverty, access to health care, and the safety of the neighborhood — are taken into account. In a new study, Kristin Turney, assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, found that childhood learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), behavioral problems, developmental delays, and speech or language problems are all significantly related to parental incarceration. Having a parent incarcerated was in some cases more detrimental than divorce or the death of a parent.
As these youth transition into adulthood, many play a supporting role for their parents, which can put a strain on their own lives. Children of Re-Entry is a youth-led New America Media project that is working to document the stories of young people as they grapple with their parents’ incarceration and subsequent return home. In 21-year-old Alisha’s words:
A part of me knows that I’m my mom’s backbone, almost. When I’m around she tries harder. But sometimes that’s not good enough. I don’t want to look over my shoulder all the time. Like, I don’t want to worry about coming home and finding my mom not okay.
Addressing the health needs of children with incarcerated parents is a common-sense public safety approach. Untreated and unaddressed health issues as children can lead to future problems, such as drug addiction, that are prevalent in the criminal justice population. Supporting family stability would likely improve health outcomes and educational and employment prospects for these youth. Reducing unnecessary incarceration for nonviolent crimes could be one way to support family stability and thereby strengthen the long-term well-being of our communities.
— Selena Teji
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act of 2014
Proposition 47: The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act of 2014 is an initiative for the November 2014 California ballot. Over the last 25 years there have been 1,000 changes made to the California penal code, many of those have made misdemeanor offenses become felonies. As a result, people of color have been highly impacted and continue reap the negative affects of mass incarceration in California. Annually, we spend $10 billion on the prison system with more than 130,000 people in prison at a yearly cost of $62,396.
Proposition 47 will permanently reduce incarceration and shift one $1 billion over the next five years alone to K-12 school programs and mental health and drug treatment. More specifically, Prop. 47 will:
- Reclassify six petty theft crimes including: petty theft , shoplifting, receipt of stolen property, writing a bad check, fraud, and drug possession (all under $950).
- Create retroactive sentencing to those currently incarcerated and not at risk to public safety and any Californian with prior felony convictions (listed above).
- Re-allocate funds that will support rehabilitation; 65% will be shifted into mental health and drug treatment; 25% will support K-12 school programs; and 10% will go to victim services.
Hundreds of thousands of Californians that have paid the time for their crimes will now be able to fix their records which will ultimately eliminate the barriers to employment, housing, student loans, and public assistance. Prop. 47 will save billions in tax payers dollars and reduce the rates of recidivism so that children will not continue in the cycles of incarceration.
For more information on The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act visit: http://www.safetyandschools.com/
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