ACTION ALERT - Support AB 2709 to Help Strengthen Family Bonds

As a member of the The Coalition for Family Unity, Felony Murder Elimination Project asks its supporters to take a moment of time this weekend to use social media channels and post in support of Assembly Bill 2709 - Visiting Bill. Sponsored by Assemblyperson Mia Bonta (D-18), the bill would ensure that personal visits are offered to individuals incarcerated in California state prisons and their families in a manner that facilitates strengthening and building bonds between incarcerated individuals, their families and their communities. It will restrict institutional barriers that currently interfere with visiting by delineating the circumstances when institutional needs justify limiting or denying visits to an incarcerated person or by a specific visitor. It will also protect women and children from being subjected to unwarranted, unnecessary, invasive and degrading unclothed body searches before being allowed to visit their incarcerated loved ones.

Decades of research demonstrates that strong familial connections reduce recidivism and help incarcerated people thrive once they return to  their community. A review of 50 years of empirical studies by the Prison Policy Initiative reported that researchers consistently found that visiting, mail, phone, and other forms of contact between incarcerated people and their families have positive impacts such as reduced recidivism, better health, and improvement in children’s  school performance.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation denies personal visits with family or friends as discipline for conduct by an incarcerated person that has nothing to do with visiting or with the prospective visitor. Some visits are denied due to honest mistakes on the visitor’s application or due to a prospective visitor’s criminal history unrelated to any violation of visiting rules.

Though AB 2709 will not reinstate the right to receive personal visits, it will reduce unnecessary barriers to visiting by;

• Prohibiting denial of visits as discipline for conduct unrelated to visiting. 
• Requiring CDCR to rely on a Department of Justice criminal background report rather than a visitor’s self report to determine a visitor’s history of law enforcement contacts, if any. 
• Prohibiting denial of visits based on a visitor’s law enforcement history unless  it is related to serious violation of visiting  rules. 
• Requiring CDCR to provide a specific reasons in writing for any denial of  visiting.

You can view and download the social media toolkit, including graphics and hashtags here ---->>> AB 2709 toolkit

You can also read more about AB 2709 using the bill's fact sheet ---->>>> AB 2709 Fact Sheet

As always, all of us at Felony Murder Elimination Project are grateful for the hard work and advocacy of all our supporters and continue to be in their debt as we all work together toward shared goals of a fairer and just criminal justice system.