Cal Matters - Criminal Justice Reform in California Is Not Dead

Rough week.

The origins of today’s self-care movement are deeply embedded in the Black Power/civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, in underserved communities across the country. Led by the Black Panther Party, self-care was characterized as both a political act and a necessary corrective action to preserve one’s mental and physical health while navigating the inequitable sociopolitical system. 

“Holistic needs of Black communities and Black activists have always been a part of community organizers’ tactics. Black women, often queer, pushed other activists toward caring for themselves as a necessary, everyday revolutionary practice,” says Maryam K. Aziz, Ph.D, postdoctoral research fellow at Penn State University.

Around that same time, activists in the women’s liberation movement began highlighting the rampant sexism that existed in institutional healthcare, where women’s bodies were characterized at best as inherently weak and deficient, and at worst as vectors of disease.

After a general election where progressive efforts - and progressive criminal justice reforms specifically - suffered setbacks, supporters of those efforts now have the opportunity to rest, recover, and re-organize. How much time you want to spend in each of those places is entirely up to you.

Once you're ready to rejoin the work, it's worth looking at why progressive criminal justice reforms faced significant headwinds.

In a piece titled "How Proposition 36 convinced Californians to vote against their political views," Michelle Parris, Vera Institute of Justice’s California office and a program director at Vera Action, provides commentary about the passing of Prop 36.

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Many are asking: Is the movement for criminal justice reform in California dead? The answer is no.

At Vera Action, where I coordinate our California justice work, we’ve conducted public polling to learn what Californians want from their elected officials. Time and again, our polling shows that voters consistently want policies that will establish safety and justice in their communities — not fearmongering.

These preferences are reflected in the election results. In California and beyond, voters supported measures that prevent crime before it can happen and keep our communities safe. Measure A, which will fund much-needed housing and homeless services in Los Angeles, is poised to pass. And two former public defenders running for Los Angeles County Superior Court, as part of The Defenders of Justice’s effort to strengthen services that address the root causes of crime — not just harshly punish — will likely join the bench.

So if Californians support reform, why did so many vote for Prop. 36?

Californians are struggling with soaring cost of living, increased homelessness, overdose deaths and concerns about crime. Voters are understandably worried and frustrated that elected leaders are not doing enough. Years of relentless “if it bleeds, it leads” media coverage of crime only raised voter anxieties. And too often, elected officials who support criminal justice reform stay silent on crime or parrot tough-on-crime rhetoric.

Those conditions are ripe for exploitation and misinformation. 

Results like the judicial races in Los Angeles show that when the playing field is even and voters hear we can have both safety and justice, they choose reform over incarceration.

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After you've taken the time to reflect and engage in whatever self-care practice fits you, we'll see you back and ready to level that playing field. Until then, take care of yourself.

You can read the full commentary, "How Proposition 36 convinced Californians to vote against their political views" at the Cal Matters website. Cal Matters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable.