Sacramento, CA — In a virtual panel discussion hosted by The Sacramento Bee, Sam Lewis, Executive Director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), urged California voters to reject Proposition 36, condemning it for its false promises and its potential to cut treatment and prevention programs while further entrenching mass incarceration and the war on drugs.
During the debate, Lewis challenged Yolo District Attorney Jeff Reisig on the cost and motives behind Prop 36, the misleading narrative surrounding retail theft, and Proposition 47, which has saved California nearly $1 billion while creating access to drug treatment and crime prevention programs.
The panel also addressed Proposition 6, which aims to amend the California Constitution to prohibit forced labor in jails and prisons. Currently, the state constitution allows involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, the author of Proposition 6, emphasized that its passage would eliminate remnants of slavery from California’s legal framework and prioritize rehabilitation over labor. Drawing from his own experiences in the criminal justice system, Lewis stressed the need to provide incarcerated individuals with opportunities for personal development and education instead of subjecting them to forced labor. “Don’t we want those people to come home, like me, better than they went in?” he asked.
Check out the full panel discussion here
