News

By ARC Member Michael Mendoza America is known as the land of opportunity. But opportunity is not created equal. For some, theirs is the opportunity of inferior schools, violent neighborhoods, crime and unforgiving cycles of prison and recidivism. According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, when an inmate is released from state prison, that person has a …

When Thomas Reese III was 15 years old, he made a poor decision that led to an 18 years to life sentence. After 17-1/2 years, he was released and needed to get his life on track. He found construction work, which kept him and his family afloat, but didn’t provide benefits or job security. He found a chance at a …

Last night, Californians took a huge step in the direction of a fairer justice system, and safer and healthier communities by voting in favor of Prop. 57! With over 65% of the vote, Californians chose to: 1) Protect our young people by mandating that judges, not prosecutors, determine whether a youth is best served in the juvenile or adult system. …

At the age of 11, West Sacramento native Michael Rizo first entered the juvenile justice system after he stole something from his neighbor’s yard. “I started messing up around elementary school, just started getting influenced by negative people,” Rizo said. In the years that followed, he moved in and out of foster care, often running away from home and living …

On July 6 and 7, 2016, the world witnessed the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, adding to the growing list of African-Americans who have been killed by excessive and unnecessary force at the hands of law enforcement.  Their names have also been added to the growing list of African-Americans whose deaths have been captured by cell phone …

SACRAMENTO, CA – Gov. Jerry Brown today announced his support for the amended “Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016,” a criminal justice measure that was originally filed in December 2015. This measure will strengthen California’s justice system and increase public safety by expanding rehabilitation in prisons and improving the process by which youth can be tried as adults. Some …

ARC member Sean Wilson attended Beyond the Bench 2015, a statewide conference devoted to youth and families in the California court system. In this blog post, Sean shares his experiences at the conference, where he participated in a discussion with Founder Scott Budnick and Director of CDCR’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs Millicent Tidwell showcasing four selections from TEDx Ironwood State …

The American juvenile justice system was founded over a century ago on the basic (and correct) premise that children are different from adults and that dealing with crimes committed by them requires a different set of tools. Yet it seems that over time, the system has morphed into something never intended: one that actually punishes children more harshly than it would adults in similar situations …

by Scott Budnick, film producer and founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition About ten years ago, a friend in the movie industry invited me to attend a writing workshop at Sylmar Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles County with the InsideOUT Writers program. I immediately signed on to teach classes, and began visiting juvenile halls weekly to mentor incarcerated youth, while executive-producing …

SACRAMENTO, CA – The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) applauds California Governor Jerry Brown for signing SB 261: Parole Review for Young Adults with Lengthy or Life Sentences on October 3, 2015, significantly strengthening California’s criminal justice system. Authored by Senator Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), SB 261 passed the Senate and Assembly with strong bi-partison support. ARC sponsored SB 261 with Human Rights …

As valedictorian of his graduating class, 26-year-old Sean Wilson was beaming as he got in line with about 100 other men to receive his college diploma. But this wasn’t a typical college graduation. Wilson and his fellow classmates are all convicts, serving time at California’s Ironwood State Prison, and this graduation ceremony was held behind bars with correction officers watching …

Susan Sobel, ARC Ally, InsideOUT Writers (IOW) teacher and second-year law student at Seattle University, created Closer to the Cuts to lift the voices of incarcerated youth and change the narrative around criminal justice reform. In Susy’s own words, “Closer to the Cuts is a visual interpretation of a poem that was born from my experiences working as a poetry …