The outcome of last night’s election has revived rhetoric and policies that seek to strip away rights from women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and many marginalized groups, including incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. This agenda threatens the very fabric of our democracy, aiming to dismantle essential democratic values and the rights that protect us all. We believe in a society that treats everyone with fairness and equality and we must stand together now more than ever to defend those rights for our community and our loved ones.
The passage of Prop 36 is a devastating blow to public safety in California, as it strips away vital funding for drug treatment, victim services, education, and reentry programs—programs that directly address the root causes of crime. Instead of tackling poverty, homelessness, or addiction, Prop 36 leans into failed strategies from the war on drugs, criminalizing poverty and substance abuse and furthering mass incarceration.
We are deeply disappointed that California voters did not approve Prop 6. For too long, slavery has been embedded into our State Constitution, forcing incarcerated individuals to work against their will and preventing them from fully participating in critical rehabilitation programs. While last night, Nevada voters passed an amendment to end slavery, joining a growing number of states, California is not one of them. We will work with the California Legislature to bring this constitutional amendment back, and we will continue to educate California voters about why involuntary servitude is modern-day slavery and has no place in our state.
While the results of this election are a setback, our community—both inside and out—remains resilient and committed to ending mass incarceration and providing dignity for all. We continue to invest in what truly works: reentry support, career training, educational opportunities, housing assistance, and effective substance abuse treatment. We will keep bringing people home safely from jails and prisons, equipping them with the tools and resources to build healthy, successful lives within their communities.
Stay tuned for updates from ARC on how, together, we can create real public safety by ending mass incarceration. We encourage everyone to stay engaged in their communities, to organize, and support organizations that fight for dignity and rights. We won’t stop and neither should you.
