What is this bill about?
SB 1157 undermines California’s shift toward a health and community-based juvenile justice system by significantly restricting youth transfers to community-based Less Restrictive Programs.
Why doesn’t it align with yli’s values?
When the Legislature closed the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), it authorized courts to transfer youth from Secure Youth Treatment Facilities to less restrictive, community-based settings to serve the remainder of their commitment, building a continuum of options that research consistently shows produces better outcomes for youth and safer communities. This bill targets the community-based end of this continuum and creates a set of unworkable requirements for community-based programs that courts are not equipped to evaluate. By design, this will dramatically reduce transfers from secure youth treatment facilities to community-based programs.
yli partners with thousands of youth across the state, the majority of whom are low-income youth of color. We witness first hand the brutal impacts of our state’s harmful “justice” system on their lives, and are staunchly opposed to policies that incarcerate and criminalize our youth.
Our decision to oppose aligns with our Racial Justice Platform, which addresses the impacts of the carceral system on communities of color.
What is yli doing about it?
We have just submitted a letter OPPOSING this bill, and we are showing our opposition on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Who else opposes this bill?
- Fresh Lifelines for Youth
- Alliance for Boys & Men of Color