Hope is contagious – Pass it on!

Dear Friends,

Just a quick update to let you know that Senate Concurrent Resolution 48 (SCR 48) passed!! Thank you for your hard work and for your prayers in accomplishing this great task. Please remember that SCR 48 is a resolution (statement) and NOT a bill; however, much research and work is currently being done toward the drafting of language for a bill. Of course, we know how many questions you have, but please be patient. We will update you as work progresses in this regard.

The 2017 legislative session has come to an end and Governor Brown has signed a great deal of criminal justice bills which have now become new laws! Please see some of them listed below (quoted from Fair Sentencing for Youth).

SB 394: No more children sentenced to die in prison. Governor Brown signed SB 394, giving people who committed a crime under age 18 and were sentenced to life without parole the chance to earn parole, with a first opportunity for a hearing after 24 years of incarceration.

AB 1308: Youth Offender Parole extended through age 25. Extends through age 25 a special parole process known as “Youth Offender Parole,” which gives an earlier parole hearing for people and requires the Board of Parole Hearings to pay particular attention to the fact that someone was young at the time of their crime.

SB 395: Children protected in police custody. This new law will protect children in police custody, ensuring that they’re not alone when making hard legal decisions, like whether to give up their rights and face police interrogation. SB 395 will mean that police cannot interrogate children 15 and under until a child has consulted with an attorney. “Everyone has heard TV cops rattle off Miranda warnings, but in real life, youth don’t understand what those warnings mean,” Elizabeth Calvin of Human Rights Watch said. “They especially don’t understand what can happen to them once they give up those rights. This new law will make sure children aren’t alone when making a crucial, complex legal decision.”

SB 620: Judicial discretion for firearm enhancements. Restores the ability of judges to not include a firearm enhancement in a criminal sentence, when doing so is in the interest of justice.

SB 180: Ends mandatory drug enhancement. Repeals the three-year mandatory sentencing enhancement for prior drug convictions that are added to any new conviction.

AB 1448 : Elder Parole. Allows the Board of Parole hearings to consider the possibility of granting parole to a prisoner who has served at least 25 years in prison, is 60 years or older and was not sentenced to death, life without the possibility of parole, or convicted of murdering a peace officer.

SB 312: Record sealing. Authorizes courts to seal records for offenses committed by children 14 years or older.

SB 190: No more fees for parents of youth in the juvenile system. Ends the assessment of fees on parents of youth in the juvenile justice system.

I want to thank you for the letters you’ve sent and apologize at the same time for my delay in responding. As I don’t have staff to share the workload there is always a balancing act of which part of advocating carries the most urgency. You are important. Every one of your letters is read and greatly appreciated. Please continue to stay strong, diligent and positive. God bless each and every one of you.