YOUNG WOMEN’S FREEDOM CENTER
Car Rally Protesters to Santa Clara Co. Jails: ‘Free Them All’
By Kyle Martin | 5/29/20
About 200 people joined a caravan of cars Thursday to circle the San Jose Main Jail Thursday and demand the release of incarcerated friends and family, to keep them safe from the COVID-19 outbreak, which has already infected several local inmates.
Led by Silicon Valley De-Bug, the rally of least 50 vehicles honked as they made their way from the nonprofit’s Lenzen Avenue headquarters to the block that houses the San Jose Police Department and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and sits across from the District Attorney’s Office on West Hedding Street. Read More
Women, Incarceration and COVID-19
By Audrey Andrews | 5/21/2020
Since the 1980s, the number of women incarcerated has increased by more than 750 percent—more than any other group. Yet, women are often overlooked in discussions of justice reform: The face of crime is overarchingly male, leaving women to face their unique imprisonment challenges alone.
On Thursday, Politico’s Women Rule editorial director Anna Palmer hosted a digital interview—along with with April Grayson, campaign surrogate and statement coordinator for The Young Women’s Freedom Center; Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC); and Emily Ratajowski, model, actress and activist—to discuss the frightening rise of female incarceration throughout the United States. Read More
Women at Risk as COVID-19 Strikes State Prisons in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties
By S.E. Williams | 5/15/20
Across California there are at minimum 436 incarcerated persons—men and women—confined and struggling to stay alive with active cases of COVID-19.
These numbers are based on the latest data regarding those in state custody provided by the California Department of Corrections And Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS). Read More
Consider the moms
By Elizabeth Ralph | 05/08/2020
In honor of Mother’s Day, let’s take a moment to consider the moms.
The Covid-19 epidemic has been hard on them: According to a new Morning Consult/New York Times poll, 80 percent of moms say they are bearing the brunt of homeschooling during the coronavirus lockdown. Read More
‘Just Mercy’ campaign launches COVID-19 fund to help the incarcerated
By Stephanie Guerilus | 5/8/20
Represent Justice is working to protect the health and safety of those living and working in prisons, jails, and detention centers through the coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus has impacted many but the prison population has been one of the most marginalized populations in the wake of the pandemic.
Prison advocate April Grayson knows firsthand how they are feeling as she was incarcerated for 17 years. In an interview with theGrio, Grayson explains how her advocacy came to be. Read More
URBAN PEACE MOVEMENT
In the Midst of COVID-19 Crisis, Alameda County Must Rethink Its Youth Justice System
By Nicole Lee and Clarence Ford | 5/1/20
Late last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced that California was granting early release to 3,500 people in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus virus and protect corrections staff. In Alameda County, officials have released more than 30 percent of the men and women who were in Santa Rita, the county’s adult jail. And the Alameda County Probation Department has agreed to relax policies to reduce the number of times that youth would have to leave their homes to report to probation and allow them to find ways to complete probation terms while still being able to shelter in place.
These are necessary and encouraging developments, but we must do much more—and quickly—for our young people. One immediate action Alameda County leaders must take right now as part of their COVID-19 crisis response: release incarcerated young people. Read More
Sheriff’s sergeant avoids jail after pleading no contest to eavesdropping
Megan Cassidy | 5/7/20
An Alameda County Sheriff’s Office sergeant charged with recording confidential conversations between youth suspects and their public defender has pleaded no contest to four misdemeanor counts of eavesdropping — an agreement that spares him from a felony conviction.
Sgt. James Russell, a veteran with more than 20 years of experience, was charged in October 2018 with four felony counts of eavesdropping after The Chronicle published a video that appeared to show him admitting to the illegal activity. Read More
