Day: February 24, 2016

It’s shaping up to be a big year in the state capital! I wanted to send an update on some of our priority efforts so you and your loved ones can start plugging in. We’re counting on CURB’s powerful network — both outside and inside prison walls — to convince decision-makers that they must support communities by closing prisons and jails and reducing the number of people caged inside them. 

State Budget:

The corrections budget continues to climb, with the state proposing to fortify prison capacity, broaden the net of the CDCR, and waste another $250 million on jail expansion. Meanwhile, vital human services remain critically underfunded. Throughout the budget season, we’ll be calling on elected officials to redirect funds from imprisonment to social and economic programs that can strengthen our communities. Read our preliminary budget cheat-sheet, and mark your calendars for these key budget hearings:

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For Immediate Release – Wednesday, February 24, 2015

Press Contact:

Lizzie Buchen – Californians United for a Responsible Budget
lizzie@curbprisonspending.org
510.435.1176

Yesterday, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office released its assessment of the Governor’s budget proposal for corrections spending in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, reaffirming community appeals not to divert another $250 million to jail expansion. The report also recommended the legislature close the deteriorating prison in Norco and reject the enhanced searches for visitors and prisoners.

Pointing to years of community budget analysis at the state and county level, Manuel La Fontaine, an organizer with All of Us or None, commented “formerly imprisoned people and community organizations have demanded since Realignment that budget resources be put into sustainable alternatives to imprisonment, not increasing jail bed capacity or building new population-specific jails for women or people with mental health or substance use needs.”

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