Crime survivors celebrate success of new Prop 36 trauma recovery center / Public News Service

Crime survivors are speaking out against Proposition 36, which goes before California voters in November.

The ballot measure would increase penalties for some thefts and drug crimes — and undo parts of Proposition 47, which created savings through reduced incarceration and put the money into harm reduction programs.

Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, spoke Wednesday at the opening of a new trauma recovery center in Oakland.

“It’s pushing the state to turn back to ‘tough on crime.'” We’re pushing against that. “You must prioritize resources to establish trauma recovery centers because that is the only way we can create safety in our community,” Hollins said.

Proponents of Prop. 36 say current laws are too lenient, particularly when it comes to retail theft. But the state legislative analyst has suggested Prop. 36 will send many more people to prison, increasing criminal justice costs to between tens of millions and low hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Hollins said that would mean less money for programs that actually address poverty and desperation — the root cause of crime.

“People who have been impacted by incarceration, people who are experiencing homelessness, people who are facing barriers to employment can actually receive a wide range of stabilization services,” Hollins added. “Think about how impactful this will be if we can continue to expand this model.”

Supporters of Prop. 36 estimate it would mean $850 million less over the next decade for trauma recovery centers, mental health, drug treatment, victim services, reintegration and crime prevention programs.

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Groups across Alabama are banding together to advocate for big changes to what they say is the state’s flawed parole system.

In a panel discussion led by the Alabama Values ​​group, speakers focused on improving the parole process and addressing its broader implications.

John Woods, who was repeatedly denied parole for 10 years, told his story. He said the system creates a sense of hopelessness, not only for those behind bars but also for their families, and recounted a recent conversation with another person who is still waiting for a chance at parole.

“He said, ‘I go out into the community every day and work a real job,'” Woods explained. “He said, ‘I go home every two weeks.’ He said, “I haven’t done anything and I’ve been there for seven years. He said, ‘What more can you expect from me in a work release?'”

Although work release programs have proven that many individuals do not pose a threat to public safety, panelists noted that few are granted parole. The most recent report from the Alabama Department of Corrections showed that state prison capacity is more than twice what it should be. Overcrowding combined with increasing violence has increased concerns.

Katie Glenn, policy fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, cited the parole board’s inconsistent application of its own policies as a major problem.

“The guidelines that the parole board uses, if actually followed, would allow about 70% of people up for parole to be paroled,” Glenn claimed. “I think now we’re seeing numbers that are maybe in the order of 20%.”

Alison Mollman, interim legal director for the ACLU of Alabama, suggested adopting parole models from other states to make improvements, including providing virtual attendance at parole hearings and reducing long wait times between hearings.

“In Alabama, you can be fined – or have to wait for another parole hearing – up to five years,” Mollman emphasized. “That’s a really, really long time, and I think we hear a lot in the Legislature that they want to move things around so that everyone has to wait five years. But in states like Louisiana, most people wait a year.”

Mollman also advocates for gradual release programs to reintegrate people in structured periods, as well as restorative justice practices that allow some offenders to seek reconciliation with victims. The next opportunity for the Alabama Legislature to address parole system issues is its 2025 session.

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The US Department of Justice has released a report on the state of prisons in Georgia, highlighting horrific conditions and extreme violence.

The investigation found the state has failed to protect incarcerated people, leaving them vulnerable to abuse, neglect and gang violence.

Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said urgent action is needed to ensure the safety of people behind bars.

“We uncovered long-standing systemic violations that stem from complete indifference and disregard for the safety of the people Georgia holds in its prisons,” Clarke reported.

The Justice Department report uncovered an unconstitutional threat of sexual violence against LGBTQ+ people. There were also 142 homicides reported from 2018 to 2023, with an increase of nearly 96% in 2021 and 2023.

Ryan Buchanan, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, highlighted the report’s findings of widespread mismanagement in Georgia’s prisons. He said a lack of oversight has allowed gangs to take control of key prison functions.

“Gang members have taken over certain administrative functions, such as bed allocation, from the Department of Corrections,” Buchanan pointed out. “They extorted money from the family members of the detainees.”

The Justice Department is recommending urgent reforms, including increased supervision, better staffing, and improvements in the classification and housing of detainees. Officials expressed their determination to work with state authorities to quickly implement changes.

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Recent problems in South Dakota’s prisons worried lawmakers, Corrections Commission members and family members of those incarcerated, who formed a new support group.

South Dakotans Impacted by Incarceration was formed this year after the state’s Department of Corrections suspended calls and messages on tablets used by prison inmates in March due to what it called an “investigation.” Services eventually resumed.

Nieema Thasing, co-founder of the advocacy group, said the department’s lack of communication on the issue was one of the many reasons she founded the group, which held its first public meeting last month, attended by some lawmakers, sheriffs and other officials .

“They were all amazed because they had no idea these things were happening because they got it from other people trying to placate everything.”

The South Dakota Corrections Commission also met last month for its first meeting since October 2023 and members expressed concerns about the commission’s role. Member David McGirr said the commission was “not fulfilling its intended purpose,” according to meeting minutes, and called for a legislative review of the commission.

Erin Vicars, another co-founder of the group, said she can “go on and on” about the big problems in state prisons. Their list includes access to health care, the lack of prison jobs, lockdowns, changes in posts, the quality of food and a lack of transparency from prison management.

“People often forget that prison itself is a punishment, not the conditions,” Vicars emphasized.

The group is planning another meeting this month. The state has now committed a total of more than $650 million to a planned men’s prison in Lincoln County and a women’s correctional facility in Rapid City.

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