Legislation Protecting Families and Helping to Rehabilitate Imprisoned Youth in California to be Heard in Committee

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Sumayyah Waheed
Policy Director
Books Not Bars
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

California's crisis-ridden adult and youth prison systems break families up and harm the people in their care. Families consistently report that bureaucratic and financial barriers frustrate their attempts to maintain contact with loved ones who are held in state youth prisons. Children are also permanently cut off when a parent is sent to prison, residential drug treatment, or is hospitalized for a time period that surpasses current law’s inflexible timetables for the termination of parental rights. Decades of research demonstrate that such policies are not only inhumane, but also counter-productive, as regular family contact while in prison leads to far greater success rates for youth and adults post-release. Earlier this month, Senator Leland Yee and a representative of Assembly Speaker-Elect Leader Karen Bass joined community groups to unveil legislation that would keep families together and help rehabilitate incarcerated youth and adults.

The Family Communication and Youth Rehabilitation Act (SB 1250), authored by Senator Leland Yee, seeks to reduce the barriers to communication between imprisoned youth and their families by reducing the costs to call home, guaranteeing the right to communication in native languages, and facilitating family visits. Also included are families’ rights to be promptly informed if a child attempts suicide, and to be notified of scheduled parole hearings.

Pictured left, Jakada Imani, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center and Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Fransisco) address supporters at Families for Justice Rally at State Capitol.

“Removing bureaucratic barriers to family communication is an efficient and effective means of helping rehabilitate incarcerated youth and will greatly cut recidivism rates,” said Yee, who is also a child psychologist. “The research is clear; the youth and the general public are better off when we allow for greater communication with families.”

With the leadership of Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and input from its network of , 1000+ family members of incarcerated youth, Books Not Bars (a campaign of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights) helped draft legislation that will require the Division of Juvenile Justice to better facilitate communication between imprisoned youth and their families. “Current policies are inconsistent and counter-productive to rehabilitating children and ultimately protecting the community,” said Yee. “SB 1250 will establish a consistent protocol for family communication and help keep families connected when their children need them most. This bill is a crucial element for successful rehabilitation and an investment worth making for healthier families and safer communities.”