Californians for Safety and Justice Seek to End Unchecked Prison Growth
After decades of being one of the nation’s—and world’s—largest incarcerators, the state of California is undergoing unprecedented changes. For the first time in 30 years, the state prison population is dropping by the thousands, and the public is supporting efforts to reduce prison waste.
These changes come after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California’s overcrowded state prisons were illegal and mandated California decrease its prison population. Lawmakers passed Public Safety Realignment, a new law that shifts responsibility to counties to manage non-violent, non-serious, non-sexual offenders, instead of shipping them off to state prisons. Some of California’s 58 counties are expanding their jails to accommodate new inmates. Others are using innovative new models to more effectively manage risk and decrease the numbers of people we incarcerate.
Meanwhile, there is a growing call throughout California to reform its decades-old Three Strikes law, which has sent tens of thousands of people to prison for 25 years to life, even for crimes like stealing batteries. Voters are likely to change this law to disallow extreme Three Strikes sentences for low-level nonviolent crimes, through a ballot initiative in November supported by many in law enforcement.
These historical moments present an historic opportunity. As the state dials back on previously unchecked prison growth, now is the time to put forward and win a new safety paradigm that can ensure we never go backwards.
The Open Society Foundations has stepped up to work with other funders to ensure that smart—and badly needed—reform ideas win the day at this unique moment of time.
The Open Society Foundations—along with The California Endowment, Rosenberg Foundation and others—have created Californians for Safety and Justice, an unprecedented effort that brings together Californians from all walks of life—and professions—to replace prison system waste with common sense solutions that create safe neighborhoods and save public dollars.
To stop the cycle of crime and build healthy communities, the campaign will win new safety priorities by broadening the numbers and types of people calling for change: crime victims, law enforcement, business and community leaders, policymakers, health professionals, educators and crime-prevention experts.
The campaign will also engage in local and statewide collaborations, policy advocacy and analysis, toolkits and trainings, and community engagement. We will promote safe and smart policies such as more effective sentencing, strategies to reduce reliance on incarceration, and increases in crime prevention services, and we will build a justice system that improves public safety without draining resources from our schools, hospitals and other community needs.
Just like our foundation supporters, we aim to be bold and vision-driven, and we look forward to sharing more about our efforts in the months to come.