News from ARC
Explore the latest updates from ARC
October 16th, 2017 Sheinelle Jones sits down with Variety’s ‘Power of Women’ panel
Sheinelle Jones sat down with Octavia Spencer, Priyanka Chopra and “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins to hear how they’re using their talents to empower others. Sheinelle says the best piece of advice she took from the ladies was to be true to yourself.
Juvenile justice groups celebrate new California laws to ease punishment, criminal fines for young people
Oct. 12, 2017, 11:42 a.m. California Legislature Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed nine bills to aid young people facing charges and serving time, a victory for a statewide coalition of criminal justice groups that brought together celebrities and former youth offenders in a push to divert children from a path to prison. The new laws will increase parole opportunities and ease punishment for people who committed crimes as children or teens. They will allow courts to seal certain juvenile records and limit the administrative fees that counties charge families with children in juvenile detention. Five of the bills were part of a package[...]
Governor Brown Signs Historic Package of Criminal Justice Reform Legislation
Governor Brown Signs Historic Package of Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Dear Supporters, We are thrilled to inform you that Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a series of bills that will significantly improve public safety and bring hope to thousands of incarcerated men, women and their loved ones across California. ARC Founder and President Scott Budnick recognized the significance of these bills, saying, “[t]hese smart-on-crime bills, many [of which] passed with a bipartisan vote, embrace the concepts of public safety, accountability and redemption.” ARC co-sponsored four of these measures (SB 190, SB 312, SB 394 and SB 395), and worked hard[...]
Patty Jenkins Funnels Ideas of Female Empowerment Into Anti-Recidivism Efforts
After making the 2003 independent film “Monster,” about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, director Patty Jenkins started to correspond with prisoners around the country. “I became educated in how incredibly difficult it can be for people to get out of prison — even when they are innocent, even when they are reformed,” she says. “The world brands a person a prisoner forever.” While doing research for another project, she connected with producer Scott Budnick, who experienced a similar epiphany when he volunteered to teach creative writing to incarcerated juveniles in Los Angeles. In 2013, Budnick officially started the nonprofit Anti-Recidivism Coalition to help men and women leaving[...]
This California Bill Would Erase Life Without Parole Sentences for Juveniles
by Michael Fitzgerald October 3, 2017 A bill awaiting California Governor Jerry Brown’s signature would end mandatory, life-in-prison sentences for youth offenders in the state. Under the proposed law, Senate Bill 394, anyone under the age of 18 with a life sentence now or in the future would be entitled to a parole hearing by their 25th year of incarceration. It would help California catch up with a growing number of states that have banned the sentencing practice known as a juvenile life without parole (LWOP) sentence, which the Supreme Court has deemed unconstitutional. Brown has until October 15th to sign the bill,[...]
Fusion Partners With The Anti-Recidivism Coalition To Launch Internship Program For Formerly Incarcerated Youth
9/19/2017 11:00 AM FUSION today announced a partnership with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) to create an internship program that will provide opportunities for recently incarcerated youth. The six month program will provide participants with a chance to learn the basics of multiplatform storytelling including how to write, research, produce, and edit a video report. While participants will work with TV producers, they will also have an opportunity to collaborate with teams across Fusion Media Group’s (FMG) digital portfolio. "We are committed to putting a spotlight on the social justice issues that matter to diverse youth, and that has included telling the stories[...]
