For Immediate Release – March 26, 2014
Calls for California Decision-Makers to Act Immediately to Reduce the Prison Population and Cancel All Prison Expansion Plans
Contact: Diana Zuñiga, Californians United for a Responsible Budget
San Diego—On Wednesday, March 26th in San Diego a broad coalition of organizations representing housing, health care, faith, youth, women’s issues, criminal justice, and more will deliver a response letter to the 2-year Supreme Court extension on prison overcrowding. The letter, delivered to several San Diego state representatives, calls on California decision-makers to take immediate action to reduce prison overcrowding by expanding parole and sentencing reform measures, investing resources in social programs and services, and canceling all prison expansion plans.
CURB (Californians United for the Responsible Budget) joins local San Diego organizations to hold a press conference and letter delivery at the state building in downtown San Diego to demand Governor Brown and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) stop all plans to build a 792-bed prison for prisoners with disabilities and mental health needs next to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa.
“Who in San Diego wants more prisons?” asked Dennis Childs, Professor at the University of California San Diego. “Why is Gov. Brown dumping this unnecessary waste of land and money on San Diego? We are going to speak out against this unnecessary use of dollars that can be used to empower the youth of San Diego instead of incarcerating them or their families.”
The new expansion unit for people with disabilities next to Donovan Correctional Facility would cost $168.7 million, with an annual operating budget of $5.5 million.
San Diego is also building a women’s jail and the California Department of Corrections recently announced a proposal to open up a Family Foundation Program in the area.
PRESS CONFERENCE AND LETTER DELIVERY DETAILS
When: Wednesday, March 26th, 10am
Where: 1350 Front Street, San Diego, CA
At the state building, advocates will urge the Governor and the legislature to implement cost effective population reduction strategies and sensible alternatives to incarceration, rather than spending millions on additional, unnecessary beds. CURB along with advocates and community activists are also planning to take further actions against prison plans later on this month.
Participating organizations include: A New PATH, All of Us or None – San Diego, California Families to Abolish Solitary Confinement, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, California Partnership, California Prison Focus, Community Hispanic Association, Courage Campaign, Critical Resistance, Committee Against Police Brutality, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, Committee Against Police Brutality, California Prison Moratorium Project, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, FACTS Education Fund,Fair Chance Project, Freedom Archives, Friends Committee on Legislation California, Grey Panthers of San Francisco, Invest in Education Not Incarceration Transform Education, ISIDORE, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, The Los Angeles Community Action Network, National Association of Social Workers – CA Chapter, National Lawyers Guild – SF Bay Chapter, People’s Power Assembly – United for Racial Justice, PICO California, Sin Barras – Santa Cruz, Students Against Mass Incarceration – UCSD, United Against Police Terror – San Diego, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and the Youth Justice Coalition along with hundreds of additional organizations and i
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