ARC Inside Newsletter - November 2019

INSIDE NEWSLETTER

ARC’S ED SAM LEWIS WITH THE HOPE AND REDEMPTION TEAM

Issue #6 / November 2019

Meet ARC’s new Executive Director Sam Lewis Greetings to my Brothers and Sisters behind the walls, I’d like to take a moment to share a few thoughts with you. Many of you know my story. I went into prison when I was 18 with a life sentence. I could barely read and write. I was a gang member, dope dealer, and labeled as a lost cause. 24 years later after a great deal of work on myself, I came out with a bachelor’s degree and a desire to help others. I joined ARC as a member, then became a Life Coach, then the Director of Inside Programs, and now I am the CEO of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC).

Simply put, I am no different from you. In each of you I see the potential to achieve every goal you set for yourselves. I have no doubt that each of you will have an opportunity to live an amazing life. I see greatness in each of you. Look within yourself and see what I see.

When things seem hardest, and hope seems so far away, know that those moments will pass. Stay focused, and constantly work to improve yourself.

Always know that I, along with ARC, will continue to fight for you and support you.

Sincerely, Sam Lewis, Executive Director

In This Issue 1

Letter from Sam Lewis, ARC’s new Executive Director

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Policy Updates

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Hope and Redemption Team in Pelican Bay

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Sacramento Office

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Voices of our Women

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A Glimpse of the Outside World

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Room to Grow: CGA at ARC

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Stay Connected

SAM LEWIS IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ANTI-RECIDIVISM COALITION (ARC). A FORMER LIFE PRISONER HIMSELF, SAM UNDERSTANDS THE VARIOUS OBSTACLES THE PRISON AND REENTRY POPULATIONS FACE. IN 2017, SAM CREATED THE HOPE AND REDEMPTION TEAM (HART), A GROUP OF NINE FORMER CALIFORNIA LIFE PRISONERS WHO GO BACK INTO CALIFORNIA STATE PRISONS TO PROVIDE HOPE, DEMONSTRATE THAT REDEMPTION IS ACHIEVABLE, AND TO PREPARE PARTICIPANTS FOR SUCCESSFUL REENTRY INTO OUR COMMUNITIES

Policy Update 2019

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ctober 13th marked the end of the California legislative season and the bills on which ARC played a leading role were either signed into law or progressed on their path to becoming law. It is through our policy work and the stories of our members both inside and outside of custody, that we change hearts and minds and continue to transform the criminal justice system in California and beyond.

Learn about our important policy updates below!

ACA 6, a constitutional amendment restoring the right to vote to people on parole, passed in the California Assembly and is on its way to the Senate for a vote in the spring. If the Senate passes ACA 6, the issue will be placed on the November 2020 ballot. Nearly 50,000 Californians on parole are working, going to school, paying taxes, and raising families.

Stripping them of the right to vote is a form of voter suppression that is deeply out of step with our values, and we’re hoping to change that with this reform.

eligible for a youth offender parole date to earn credits under Proposition 57 to advance that their hearing, was signed into law. Proposition 57 was intended to incentivize incarcerated people to participate in educational and rehabilitative programming; this bill expands the reach of this legislation to those who were charged for their offense under the age of 25 and are expecting a youth offender parole hearing.

SB 36, a bill that requires each county that uses a pretrial risk assessment tool to maintain individualized data regarding the tool’s inputs and outcomes, was also signed into law.

Tracking this data is vital to ensuring that these systems are fair and equitable.

In addition to these bills, ARC and partners have introduced a resolution addressing prison wages, SCR 69. We know that people who are currently incarcerated are drastically underpaid for their labor, and that their earned wages don’t allow them to fulfill financial obligations, such as restitution, fines, fees, and child support.

A resolution does not mean that there will be any legislative changes on this issue this year.

However, it does mean that the California legislature recognizes that this is a problem and plans on working to fix it in the near future.

We hope that this resolution will become a bill within the next couple of years.

SB 394, a bill that creates a pre-trial diversion option for some primary caregivers of children, was signed into law. This bill seeks to protect dependent children and families by diverting eligible primary caregivers into a pretrial diversion program designed to support families.

These programs provide primary caregivers with the tools essential to developing and maintaining healthy and thriving family relationship. Keeping families together is a vital ARC has also made significant strides towards first step to ending the cycle of foster care and jail and probation reform in LA County, and incarceration. hopes to expand that work to Sacramento County. We are particularly excited to announce AB 965, a bill that allows an incarcerated person that, because of the work of ARC and partners,

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INTRODUCING MIGUEL GARCIA

the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to create the Probation Oversight Commission (POC), a body that will have real oversight over LA County’s Probation Department. This commission will be the first of its kind in the entire United States!

Finally, we’ve received some concerned calls about SB 1437, a bill that ARC and partners helped pass in 2018. This bill retroactively limits the reach of the Felony Murder Rule and Natural and Probable Consequences Doctrine, so that aiders and abettors charged with murder during the commission of an underlying felony under these doctrines can petition the court to get their murder charges dropped. While some county courts have ruled SB 1437 to be unconstitutional, this issue has not gone before the California Supreme Court yet. This means that as of now, the decisions of those lower court judges are simply delays in process. If you have heard that a judge in your county has declared this bill unconstitutional, file your petition anyway and try to be patient. Judgements of lower courts are temporary in this case, as they will soon be bound by the decisions of higher courts.

Please continue to send in your questions and suggestions. Although it takes us a while to respond to letters, we read them all and make note of all of your thoughts and ideas. You may send mail to the LA or Sacramento offices, just make sure to C/O ARC Policy.

Sincerely, ARC Policy Team

E ARE EXCITED TO INTRODUCE MIGUEL GARCIA, OUR NEW POLICY COORDINATOR BASED AT THE ARC SACRAMENTO OFFICE. MIGUEL HAS BEEN A PART OF THE ARC FAMILY SINCE HE BECAME A MEMBER IN 2014. HE IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN HIS COMMUNITY AS A YOUTH JUSTICE ADVOCATE, A PASSION THAT BEGAN AFTER HIS OWN EXPERIENCES WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AS A TEENAGER. HE HOLDS A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE, AND HAS WORKED ON SEVERAL PROJECTS AND REFORMS WITH ARC AND OUR PARTNERS, INCLUDING HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH AND IMPACT JUSTICE. WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE HIM ON THE TEAM!

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Hope and Redemption in Pelican Bay

By Mark Taylor

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JOSEPH OSORIO (L) WITH MARK TAYLOR (R)

eep within the heart of every human being there burns an irrepressible desire for freedom. Regardless of race, color, creed, culture, religion, or criminal pasts, we all want to be free. Each of us wants the freedom to spend time with our families, the freedom to live life on our own terms, and the freedom to define our own destinies. This universal law holds true for the men confined in Pelican Bay State Prison, too. As Hope and Redemption Team (HART) Life Coaches for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) we are tasked with instilling hope in these men so they can pursue and achieve the freedom that we believe is every human being’s birthright.

We utilize a multifaceted approach to accomplish this objective. Our shared experience of incarceration, and the trauma that comes with it, allows us to establish common ground. It is from that common ground that we begin the task at hand. We present three separate curriculums that are designed to empower the students to make healthier decisions so that they can get out and stay out of prison.

We also create a healthy environment for our brothers—I say our brothers because we consider these men to be our brothers—to freely express the struggles that they are currently experiencing.

Then the group offers that individual constructive criticism on the appropriate way to deal with the struggle they are facing. We are both respectful and brutally honest with one another so we can all learn and grow.

We have received overwhelming support from all of our participants—in part because we have returned to prison after serving long prison sentences ourselves. For us this is a great honor, because we want all of our brothers to know that they are not forgotten. We are here to show them the way home so that they too can experience the same kind of freedom that we have been blessed with.

The Hope and Redemption Team (HART) is a group of nine former life prisoners who return to state prisons to give back to the men still inside. The program is a first-of-its-kind initiative nationwide, in which former lifers use their lived experience to connect with and support participants.

IN 1997, MARK TAYLOR WAS CONVICTED OF 1ST DEGREE MURDER AND SENTENCED TO 26-YEARS-TO-LIFE. HE SERVED 21 ½ YEARS OF THAT LIFE SENTENCE AND ONLY RECEIVED ONE WRITE UP DURING THAT TIME. WHILE INCARCERATED, MARK EDUCATED HIMSELF, PARTICIPATED IN SELF-HELP GROUPS, AND MAINTAINED SOBRIETY FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT, OTHER THAN EARNING HIS FREEDOM, WAS EARNING SIX ASSOCIATE DEGREES WITH A 4.0 GPA. WHILE INCARCERATED, MARK ALSO ORGANIZED THE FIRST EVER TEDX INSIDE A CALIFORNIA PRISON, SERVED AS A MENTOR COORDINATOR FOR THE YOUTH OFFENDER PROGRAM, TEAM COORDINATOR FOR THE ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE PROJECT, AND CHAIRMAN OF CRIMINALS AND GANG MEMBERS ANONYMOUS. MARK IS NOW A LIFE COACH ON ARC’S HOPE AND REDEMPTION TEAM.

WHEN JOSEPH OSORIO WAS SEVENTEEN, HE COMMITTED GANG-RELATED MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER. IN 2004, HE TOOK APLEA DEAL FOR TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS IN STATE PRISON, WHERE HE CONTINUED TO PARTICIPATE IN GANG-RELATED ACTIVITIES AND SUBSTANCE USE. AFTER MANY YEARS IN PRISON, JOSEPH MADE A DECISION TO WALK AWAY FROM THE CRIMINAL LIFESTYLE LARGELY IN PART DUE TO HIS WIFE AND STEPCHILDREN. AFTER MOVING TO A LEVEL III PRISON THIRTEEN YEARS INTO HIS SENTENCE, JOSEPH SIGNED UP FOR COLLEGE AND BECAME INVOLVED IN SUPPORT GROUPS, INCLUDING HOPE AND REDEMPTION TEAM PROGRAMMING. UNDER SB 260 ELIGIBILITY, A BILL THAT ARC SUPPORTED,JOSEPH WAS GRANTED PAROLE, WAS RELEASED IN JANUARY 2019, AND JOINED THE HOPE AND REDEMPTION TEAM AS A LIFE COACH.

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SACRAMENTO OFFICE CAREER AND HIGHER EDUCATION FAIR

ARC SACRAMENTO IS UP TO EXCITING THINGS! LEARN ABOUT THE PEOPLE, PROGRAMS, AND SERVICES ARC-SAC HAS TO OFFER •

The Sacramento office hosted ARC’s first Career and Higher Education Fair. The theme of the day was, “Don’t just survive—thrive!” It’s our goal that ARC members not only “get by” in their reentry journey, but live fulfilling lives while doing so. During the panel portion of the fair, participants had the opportunity to hear from expert panelists in the career and education fields.

Many of the experts were system-impacted themselves and had great tips for reaching career and educational goal.

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Meet Raeshone Holmes! She served 22 years at CCWF and is now a Life Coach at ARC-SAC. She is passionate about improving conditions for individuals currently incarcerated and creating a safe and supportive space for individuals re-entering society.

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ARC-SAC’s therapist, Ellen, facilitates a women’s program at the Sacramento Main Jail. We offer a healing through poetry group, focused on telling your story through writing and, this month we’ll complete our second cycle of the Seeking Safety curriculum, which addresses trauma and substance abuse.

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ARC-SAC staff Aldo and Ricardo run a program at the men’s jail. The first cycle is focused on “As a Man Thinketh,” which is a CBT group. The second group was Houses of Healing, addressing childhood trauma, and they are focused on the Four Agreements, which is being honest and mindful in your healing journey.

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Three MSW students from Sacramento State have been supporting ARC members with community resources, volunteer work and individual counseling. They are also developing a mindfulness-based group.

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F E AT U R E

A Glimpse of the Outside World

by Adam Mortera

drove down Pier Avenue towards the Pacific Ocean in beautiful Hermosa Beach, I felt the same awe I felt standing on that corner in Salinas. Then my senses were overwhelmed with the smell of the ocean air, the cool breeze, and the beautiful women everywhere. That evening my mother and I went to Palmilla Cocina y Tequila restaurant on Pier Avenue, which was overpriced because of the prime location. Most places are overpriced in this outside world.

I wanted to take on the task of ordering our meals, just because I did not want to freeze at ordering food again. Once we decided what we were going to order, I motioned for the waitress to come to our table. Now standing in front of me is this beautiful woman with dark black hair and vibrant brown eyes. In the world of deprivation, I did not see people who looked like her very often. I ordered our meals without any hesitation. The waitress would periodically come to our table and ask how we were doing and if we would like anything else, smiling every time and being extra friendly. I assumed she was flirting with me. I didn’t believe I lost all my skills just because I was out of practice for so long. I later found out all waitresses are friendly because it’s their job to provide good service, and they want to receive generous tips.

These were the first experiences in the outside world. In the six plus years since

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coming home I have experienced: swimming in the beautiful (but cold) Pacific Ocean; flying to Sacramento to advocate and lobby for important bills, such as AB 1308 and SB 394, as well as Prop 57 hearings; mentoring youth from the projects of Rancho San Pedro and Imperial Courts in Watts; camping at Catalina Island with ARC and kayaking right off the island; going to Knott’s Scary Farm and screaming like a scared child because the exhilarating rides did things to my organs that were never intended to happen; attending funerals for family members and being able to bring comfort to my grieving family; attending family reunions and feeling the genuine love and acceptance from loved ones; taking a road trip to New Mexico from California and seeing the amazing landscape and the bright stars at night that seem to be reachable because the New Mexico sky is so clear; attending weddings and quinceaneras (a 15 year birthday celebration equivalent to a sweet 16); and getting on the dance floor to cut loose and let the music move me; to ultimately getting engaged and planning my own wedding with all the minute details that are included, culminating in my wedding day and seeing my beautiful bride walking down the aisle in an amazing white dress. These are just a few of my many experiences in this outside world.

2019 CATALINA TRIP

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magine fantasizing about your favorite place in the world after having been deprived of that place for 20 plus years. Imagine this fantasy after being in a place deprived of a vast array of personalities such as children, adolescents, and members of the opposite sex. Imagine, after being deprived of the normalcy of daily life for over twenty years, you were informed you would be returning to that outside world, with all its uniqueness that most who have never lost it take for granted.

After spending over 22 years in a world of deprivation from the ages of 17 to 39, I remember my first experiences returning to the outside world. A world of unique smells and sights of vibrant colors and sounds. My first experience was at a Greyhound bus station in the small town of Salinas, California. I was at the café in line waiting to order, looking at the wide selection of food options. I remember thinking, “There are so many things to choose from.”

I was not used to so many choices so I just stared at the selections. I was brought back to reality by the voice of someone saying, ”Can I take your order?”

So as not to look as confused as I felt, I ordered the first thing that looked familiar: a BLT on wheat bread, toasted. As I sat at a table eating my food, I was watching the traffic go by and people walking around. I thought to myself, “I haven’t been on a sidewalk in over twenty years.” So, because I could, I walked outside and stood on the corner, watching the cars go by and listening to the sounds of traffic. I asked myself, “Am I standing on a street corner with the ability to stand here as I please? ” I was in awe of standing on a corner watching the traffic go by. Having been in this outside world over six years now, I still comfort myself with the knowledge that I have the freedom and ability to walk outside my front door and down the street as I please, whenever I please.

My favorite memory of a first experience in this outside world was the first time I went to the beach, my favorite place, the place I fantasized about for over twenty years while living in that world of deprivation. I was sitting on the passenger side of a car while driving down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). I remember looking out of the window when I saw an enormous ocean that was bright blue. As we

ARC’S FIRST ANNUAL ARC WOMEN’S RETREAT

Voices of our Women Hear from Norma and April, two shining leaders in our community.

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eet Norma Cumpian, the Manager of Women’s and Non-Binary Services at the Los Angeles office and April Grayson, an ARC member and former ARC life coach in Sacramento. April is now the Statewide Coordinator for Young Women’s Freedom Center.

April: I believe that JOC, G2G/CGA, and participating in Kairos helped me to work on myself and do the work needed to become a better person.

Norma: All the classes and groups I took helped me once I was released - I didn’t realize it at the time what a huge education I was We asked each woman a few questions about receiving! Not just the self-help groups, but themselves, their experience with programs the many life lessons on how to treat people. inside, how they got involved with ARC, and The ability to get along with so many different advice they have for women coming home from people from diverse backgrounds is really a prison. Norma and April are trailblazers in the true gift that a lot of us share. work they are doing with ARC and our partners, and they would love to hear from you if you have questions or interest in getting involved How did you establish community when you with ARC. returned home?

ARC Sacramento Therapist Ellen Goldwasser conducted the interview.

How did you get involved with ARC?

April: I got connected within a church and became a volunteer at a human trafficking organization. I used both of those as the catalyst to get involved within my community, which ultimately built community.

April: I came to know about ARC at a criminal justice reform concert in 2017 that featured Common and J-Cole. I signed up for orientation at that event and have been involved ever since.

I started working for ARC as a life coach about a year ago and have been a big advocate for criminal justice reform, particularly for women.

Norma: I established community when I first came home by making an effort to stay connected to people who meant a lot to me while I was inside. Life has a way of moving so fast, especially when you are working and trying to get a secure place, both in terms of housing and your job, but you have to make time for the people and relationships that mean the most to Norma: I became involved with ARC when I, you. ARC is a perfect place to reconnect with along with my attorney, Heidi Rummel, spoke on people that share your background. We have a a panel discussing what needs women and girls monthly women’s dinner on the first Thursday of have when exiting incarceration. Scott Budnick, each month and build community through our the founder of ARC, was the moderator and monthly support meetings. after hearing our stories, he showed us pictures of the ARC members on Catalina Island - I was sold! I couldn’t believe all those people were What advice do you have for women coming formerly incarcerated and sharing so many home from prison? amazing memories. I was so excited by this group of members that I submitted my resume for the position of Life Coach.

April: Finding a support system that connects you to volunteer opportunities and allows you to give back to your community is What programs/classes inside helped you the first step to gaining stability at home. I think develop the skills you are using outside?

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it’s also important to take the time to adjust to the newness of your freedom. Take time for yourself and ensure that you have balance in your life before committing to situations that might not aid in your re-entry.

Norma: Stay connected with your support system – this could be ARC and it could be others in your circle. While inside, I would encourage people to use all the resources available to resolve conflict, build relationships, and be a person who others enjoy being around. People hire people they like.

What programs/opportunities does ARC offer to women in LA and Sacramento?

April: The Sacramento office is continuously working to strengthen our women’s program.

We currently facilitate within the women’s facilities – we have a bi-weekly group at the Sacramento Jail and will be going into CCWF on a regular basis this year. Sacramento has started a women’s group called SheCares, which is a group designed for women of all ages who are interested in pursuing personal growth in a variety of areas, as well as supporting incarcerated women through our in-reach program. This monthly group creates a space to talk about the importance of self care, demonstrate what self-care looks like for woman, to discuss some of the challenges that come up in creating intentional time for ourselves, and focuses on strategies for how we obtain time for ourselves to do the things we enjoy.

Norma: In LA, ARC saw the need for more women and non binary folks in the reentry space in, so we developed the Women and Non-Binary Services Department. It is our way to carve out a space so that everyone has a voice and that voice is heard and valued. ARC held our first women’s retreat in May at a relaxing space at Big Bear mountain - and it was a huge success!

Room to Grow: Criminals and Gangmembers Anonymous (CGA) at ARC The innovative program, which grew out of California prisons, comes to ARC LA.

By Jarret Keith

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riminals and Gangmembers Anonymous (CGA) is a 12-step program created by Richard Mejico, a lifer in California. He was expressing frustration with institutional programming and going to the parole board. He had problems articulating his criminal and gang background to the board. AA and NA didn’t allow him to him get the help he needed in expressing his difficulties. He created CGA to address the criminal and gang lifestyle. The CGA material is written by someone that understands and lived a criminal lifestyle.

CGA isn’t only for gangmembers—it’s for anyone with a history of criminality.

It’s unique because of how participants share their thoughts and struggles about criminal activity. CGA gives a clear focus on managing criminal thinking. CGA addresses the justifications and the thought progressions of the criminal mindset. CGA helps to identify criminal thinking patterns and offers a solution to those patterns. CGA fosters a supportive community, a community of accountability, where we can be honest with each other, encourage each other, and correct errors on a day to day basis. CGA’s 12 steps creates the opportunity for people working on their recovery process tocontinue growing as an individual but also to be of service.

I learned about CGA when I was at Soledad. I had been going to AA and NA for some years already. I had been working on my sobriety, but I hadn’t addressed my criminality. I attended CGA and connected with it. Through CGA I developed a deeper understanding of the benefit of the 12 steps that is helpful in all the areas of life, especially thinking beyond drugs and alcohol. Making that insight and connection for me was valuable. I wanted to help other people. I started facilitating and did so for six years.

It was a surprise to me that CGA wasn’t a part of ARC already. I wanted our members to have it available to them on the outside. I debuted CGA at the ARC retreat in January. Some ARC members were familiar with CGA, some weren’t. A lot of people connect with it so well they want to continue it. They want to keep doing it in their recovery process. We now hold CGA at ARC, where I facilitate the group every week.

Attending groups and continuing to patriciate in therapy are important once you come home. One of the aspects is transitional. When you come home, everything is changing in your life very fast. It’s good to engage in programming that is familiar. It’s crucial to have space where you can feel safe and comfortable to talk about the difficulties, challenges, and awesome things about transitioning. There is always room to grow.

That’s what ARC is about, not just transitioning from prison to society but supporting people to reach their maximum potential. The goal is having people grow when success has been achieved.

If there is a CGA group at your institution, go attend. If you can facilitate a group, get involved. If there isn’t a CGA, you can start one anywhere. If you need the curriculum, write to ARC and we will send you materials to get a group started.

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ARC MEMBERS IN FREEDOM ROOM AT LA OFFICE

In 2019, ARC began offering Criminals and Gangmembers Anonymous (CGA) meetings at ARC. Life Coach Jarret Keith explains what CGA is and why he brought it to the ARC LA office.

Anti-Recidivism Coalition 1320 E. 7th Street Suite 260 Los Angeles, CA 90021

Founded in 2013, the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) empowers formerly and currently incarcerated people to thrive by providing a support network, comprehensive reentry services, and opportunities to advocate for policy change. Through our policy advocacy, we are dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system so that it is more just and equitable for all people.

Our supportive services – which include case management, trauma-informed counseling, housing, education, employment training, and mentorship – ensure that those returning home are given the best chance to be healthy, whole members of their communities. Our programs, correspondence, and legislative work on behalf of currently incarcerated people create hope and a pathway to freedom for many who never thought freedom possible.

Masthead Executive Director: Sam Lewis Director of Inside Programs: Jacob Brevard Deputy Director: Bikila Ochoa Inside Newsletter Editor-in-Chief: Nicholas Reiner Deputy Editor: Josh Pynoos Design Editor: Sy Brown Operations: Robert Chavez Policy Editor: Celina Chapin

Write to the Anti-Recidivism Coalition Los Angeles: Anti-Recidivism Coalition, 1320 E. 7th Street Suite 260, Los Angeles, CA 90021 Sacramento: Anti-Recidivism Coalition, 1414 K Street, Suite 150, Sacramento, CA 95814 If you write ARC a letter, please include some general information that will assist us in determining how to best serve you, and that will aid ARC with their advocacy efforts. Please answer the following questions: • • •

Are you serving a determinate sentence, serving a life sentence, or a life without the possibility of parole sentence?

Do you fall all under SB 394, SB260, SB261, AB 1308, SB 1391, SB 1437, AB 965 or Prop. 57?

Have you had a suitability hearing? If so, how many have you had?

Also please keep ARC updated if you happen to transfer out of your current institution. This will ensure you continue to receive the ARC quarterly newsletter.

Submit to our Newsletter!

We want you to contribute to our next newsletter and submissions are now open! Tell us what inspires you, what your goals are, what gives you hope, or anything you would like to share with our community!

Please write to us at ATTN: Newsletter Submission, 1320 E. 7th Street, Suite 260, Los Angeles, CA 90021. Write the name you would like to be published under. Submissions may also be posted on the ARC website. Please note that your submission is not guaranteed publication.

We look forward to reading your work!

Learn How You and Your Family Can Get Involved The bills that ARC and other community-based groups throughout California are supporting this year are significant in that they help provide many of you with chances to return to your families, remove barriers toyour employment once you return home, and ensure that young people never enter the juvenile / criminal justice systems. California legislators need to know that these bills are extremely important to their constituents. One of the ways that you can help these bills become reality is to encourage your families to contact their representatives and voice their support. They can find out who their representatives are by using the following website: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov Once they find out who their representatives are, they simply have to contact them and voice their support. Your family members, loved ones and friends can contact their representatives through phone calls and social media, as well. Please encourage your friends and loved ones today!

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