MUST-READ Op-ed by CURB Advisory Board Member Ruth Wilson Gilmore and Abby Cunniff in Prism Reports! Governor Newsom's #CaliforniaModel is distracting from the urgent need for prison closures and real investment in our communities.

Read the full article here: bit.ly/9-26prism  

Is this the California Model?! Blocking even a tool like #AB2178, which could have reined in CDCR’s unchecked power and helped reduce wasteful prison spending?!

Newsom’s veto on AB 2178 keeps prison doors open and BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars flowing into crumbling, toxic facilities that the state refuses to close.

AB 2178 wasn’t a mandate—it was a practical tool to hold CDCR accountable for its unchecked control over prison capacity. As the article points out, the so-called California Model is being used as an excuse to avoid prison closures, delaying much-needed investments in housing, mental health, and social welfare programs. Despite passing both houses of the Legislature and gaining support from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state’s refusal to #CloseCAPrisons is costing taxpayers BILLIONS every year.

We must guard against ANY policy that preserves prison capacity at the expense of community investment. We warned against this: The California Model will be used as a #PrisonSpendingScam that hides behind promises of rehabilitation while maintaining a system that harms families and communities.

CURB supports culture change and increased funding for programming, but that can NEVER be an excuse to keep more people behind bars or avoid long overdue prison closures. Rehabilitation, public safety, and prison closures can and must coexist.

#AB2178 was an opportunity to move toward that reality, but the Governor’s veto shows just how deeply the state remains invested in a flawed system.

#CloseCAPrisons #PrisonSpendingScam #CareNotCages #AB2178 #JusticeReinvestment #CURB #RuthieGilmore #Abolition