Blog Nov 29, 2008
Obama’s crime policy — no “change” yet
Think anew, exhorted Barack Obama. “The old ways simply can’t meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.” That’s been a campaign theme of the president-elect’s repeated, welcome calls for innovation on foreign policy, budget reform, and energy and an end to Washington’s stifling “groupthink.” But does Obama propose to extend this refreshing imperative to evolve new thinking America’s century of disastrously failed policies on crime, violence, drug abuse, and related social ills? After all,…
In criminal justice debate and policy, it is important to keep up with often startling realities – and California’s contain plenty of surprises. Consider three statements often made about adult-court prosecutions of juveniles: 1. The number of juveniles tried in adult court is increasing. False. Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) reports show the number and percentage of juvenile inmates in state facilities sentenced by adult criminal courts (as opposed to juvenile courts) has plummeted ‚…
Blog Nov 14, 2008
Time to Close the old California Youth Authority
The recent news from Sacramento that the state is confronting another round of midyear budget cuts that could amount to a stunning 7 billion dollars provides further reason to close the old California Youth Authority (CYA). Closing the CYA (now the Division of Juvenile Facilities) would save the state nearly $500 million and bring an end to a sad chapter in the history of California’s juvenile justice system. The current California youth corrections system is built on a 19th century training…
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and the Pacific Juvenile Defender Association staged their yearly juvenile justice roundtable on Friday, November 7. The conference was well attended by juvenile public defenders and defense counsel from around California. I was asked to speak on the topic of presenting incarceration alternatives at disposition hearings. The importance of defense attorneys providing options to juvenile court judges at disposition hearings cannot be overstated. I…
Blog Nov 7, 2008
More Election Reflections
While the loss of California’s Proposition 5 was a huge disappointment to the prison reformers, the sound rejection of Proposition 6 by California voters provides some consolation. Proposition 6 represented a billion dollar raid on the state treasury by Sacramento lobbyist for the benefit of their law enforcement and prison interest group clients. Because the initiative was intended to increase the jail and prison population, the campaign was bankrolled by private prison companies, bail…