Inside Newsletter - September - 2021

INSIDE NEWSLETTER Issue #11 /Sept 2021

a letter from our Executive Director Sam Lewis Greetings to our Currently Incarcerated Community Members, I pray that you and your families are safe and well. I’m beyond excited to update you on the launching of ARC’s State-Wide Hope And Redemption Program. We will now be able to offer our rehabilitative programs on 110 yards in 32 facilities in CDCR. Each of these programs was created for us and by us. These programs include YOP Mentoring with an Emotional Intelligence component, Criminals and Gang Members Anonymous, and AVATAR. I am one of the three founding creators of the AVATAR Program, also known as “Board Preparation.” AVATAR is geared to assist you in understanding how to prepare for your Board Hearing and assist you in utilizing other rehabilitative programs and resources to prepare you for a successful transition from incarceration to freedom. AVATAR also helps you with creating your relapse prevention plan. This individualized plan that you create will assist you with remaining free and succeeding in society. Each of these programs has helped thousands of lifers, and nonlifers succeed and never return to prison.

As we learn and grow, we continue to add to these curriculums and create new curriculums such as Financial Literacy and Healthy Relationships. The Lived Experience of our team is central in creating the tools and resources that we need to prepare for a smooth reentry and successful life after incarceration.

In everything in life, we only get out of it what we put into it. The greatest achievers in any field put serious time and effort into that which they want to achieve. To each of you: BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE…. Believe in you just as I believe in you.

Sincerely,

Sam Lewis, Executive Director

In This Issue

1

Letter from Sam Lewis, ARC’s Executive Director

2

State Policy Update

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Plugging into a digital world: Tips on Learning Technology Inside & Out

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AB2147: Success Story Art Submission

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Our Community in Action

6

ARC Rafting Trip

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Boundless: Father in Freedom Free World Podcast with Guest Tarra Simmons

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Stay Connected

SAM LEWIS IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ANTI-RECIDIVISM COALITION (ARC). A FORMER LIFE PRISONER, 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.

State Policy updates ARC and our partners continue to advocate for you and are working to pass key pieces of legislation.

Learn about our important State Policy updates below!

2021 State Policy Priorities AB 333 (Kamlager) Reforming Gang Enhancements: ARC is working on legislation that will begin to address this harm by making the standards for applying a gang enhancement more rigorous, including: End the ability of prosecutors to claim people are gang members simply because they may come from the same community, be related, or know each other, reduce the list of crimes that allow gang enhancements to be charged, prohibit the use of the current charge as proof of a “pattern” of criminal gang activity, and require direct evidence of current and active gang allegations.

AB 89 (Jones-Sawyer) – PEACE (Peace officer Education and Age Conditions for Employment) Act: Increases the minimum standards so that all new peace officers, including correctional officers, in California must be either 25 years of age or have a bachelor’s degree Status: This bill was signed into law by the Governor AB 990 (Santiago) –Family Unity Bill: This bill seeks to strengthen visiting rights to support the emotional health of Californians and their incarcerated loved ones and to improve in-custody conduct and reduce recidivism

Status: This bill was signed into law by the Governor *This bill is not retroactive*

Status: This bill was vetoed by the Governor. We are committed to increasing visitation and will bring this bill back in another form next year

ACA 3 (Kamlager) Ending Involuntary Servitude - The California Abolition Act: The Constitution of California prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude “except to punish crime.” ACA 3, the California Abolition Act, would amend the California Constitution to remove such conditional language, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude without exception.

SB 481 (Durazo) – The Meaningful Opportunity Acts: SB 481 provides a judge the ability to strike or dismiss a special circumstance and impose a sentence of 25 years to life for people sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) for crimes they committed at age 25 years or younger after serving 15 years of their original sentence.

Currently, law prohibits judges from dismissing or striking a special circumstance, which mandates an LWOP sentence - denying many youth the opportunities to have a Youth Offender Parole Hearing. After the special circumstance is struck, these individuals would become eligible for a Youth Offender Parole hearing.

Status: This is now a two-year bill and will pick back up in January 2022 in the Assembly. *Because this amends the CA Constitution it must pass the CA Senate and Assembly by a 2/3rvote and then will turn into a Proposition for the voters of CA to decide via the ballot* SB 262 (Hertzberg) - Bail: SB 262 creates a more fair pretrial justice system in California by: 1) requiring the Judicial Council to establish a statewide bail schedule after soliciting input from stakeholders and experts; 2) codifying and expanding upon a recent California Supreme Court decision to ensure the accused do not remain in custody simply because they cannot afford to pay bail; 3) ensuring the accused do not assume any costs of court-imposed release conditions; and, 4) requiring bail companies to refund the premiums they receive from defendants who aren’t charged, have their case dismissed or make all of their required court appearances.

Status: This is a two-year bill, meaning it will pick back up in January 2022 in the Senate, this bill also requires a 2/3 vote from the CA Senate and Assembly. This bill is retroactive.

AB 1127 (Santiago & Quirk) – Juvenile Three Strike Reform: This bill would eliminate strikes committed as a juvenile from being used to enhance future adult felonies.

This bill would also allow people to petition for resentencing if their prior juvenile adjudication was used to enhance an adult felony conviction Status: This is a two-year bill, and will pick back up in January 2022 in the Assembly

Status: This is now a two-year bill and will pick back up in January 2022 in the Assembly

This was a difficult year as many of our bills will be delayed until next year, meaning they are now two-year and will have to pass next year. We are committed to advancing these bills forward but know we have a challenging year ahead of us.

We need your help more than ever to enact change. Your insight and feedback are crucial to changing and reforming our criminal justice system in California. If you have any questions or policy ideas, please continue to call and write to us. You may send mail to the LA or Sacramento offices. Make sure to write: C/O ARC Policy.

SB 731 (Durazo): Sealing Old Convictions: This bill seeks to sunset criminal convictions and proposes expanding record sealing to all sentences following completion of terms of incarceration, post-release supervision, and an additional period of time - provided the person has completed their sentence without any new felony convictions and has no new charges pending.

Status: This is now a two-year bill and will pick back up in January 2022 in the Assembly

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Plugging into a Digital World: Tips on Learning Technology Inside & Out

ARC members Emiliano and Van share their experience learning technology and how you can prepare to re-enter a world driven by technology.

The world has adapted to a new digital age during COVID-19 where work and social interactions happen online. All ARC members are navigating and adjusting to working from home and living through devices.

ARC member Van took computer classes while he was still incarcerated but knows getting in front of a computer for the first time can be “daunting and challenging.” But Van saw that their inexperience did not hold back the men of his yard.

“Just because someone doesn’t have these skills yet doesn’t mean that they can master it,” Van said.

For Van, having the right mindset was vital, “Be open and learn not to get frustrated.” He knows it takes patience and a committed mind to learn. Van stresses how computer classes on the inside prepared him to come home to an ever-changing digital world. “Take classes if you can sign up or read books. Technology is changing, so what you might be learning or practicing could be outdated, but learning is key to adapting,” he added.

“I was using technology before I was incarcerated, but when I came home, it was difficult keeping up to changes like smartphones and tablets.”, said ARC member Emiliano. Emiliano mentions there is no one guide to learn technology, but he credits YouTube with helping him to overcome these barriers. Emiliano suggests just “jumping in, as the first thing people get is a phone.” Family members and friends can bridge the gap and help you learn how to use a phone for the first time. Emiliano recommends starting now before you get out, “Take a computer literacy class if it’s available and push for more instruction in technology.”

Now Van teaches computer classes at ARC, but he still has many skills to learn. Van has simple advice, “Start acting like you’re already out, put your mind into a make-believe situation. Visualize that you are learning real-life job skills. That helped to prepare me to get out.”

Van adds the main barrier for success isn’t knowledge or proficiency but having the right mental strength and attitude. Van was able to confront technology because he is always working on himself and shedding his “prison mentality,” which has led him to be open and able to take on technology and the road ahead.

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ab2147: success story Please meet Jose Santana, an alum of Ventura Training Center (VTC) and the first person to receive an AB 2147 expungement earlier this year.

“I came home on Christmas Day 2019. My original release date was for late January 2020. I worked really hard and did all the available credits so that I could get time off my sentence. I wanted to be home before Christmas so that I wouldn’t miss another one with my kids. Since coming home it’s been amazing, but also hard at times. I hadn’t seen my kids for over 3 years. They were 8 and 11 when I got out, both are boys. I hadn’t spoken to their Mother since September of 2016, and my boys since that time also. It was a bit difficult with them at first.

When I was locked up, I wasn’t able to talk to my children, but I remembered the movie “The Notebook.” I was able to get a hold of a few composition notebooks, and so every day for 3 years (35 months) I would take a few minutes to write to my children about how my day was, and let them know that I missed them. Even on fires I carried a notebook in my fire pack so that I could write to them when we were sleeping on the mountain. I just never wanted my kids to think that I didn’t love them, or think about them all the time. Anyways after the initial few months, it was a bit of a struggle, them testing their boundaries. We’ve settled into a relationship that is so wonderful. We talk everyday through phone or through text. I have an amazing relationship with their mother.

Now that I’m doing the firefighter thing, she’s started doing EMT. She’s currently getting her EMT license.

I never imagined that my life could be this wonderful. There’s still bumps in the road, but there’s so many resources I have nowadays that come to my aid to help, ARC being one of them.

I am so fortunate to be granted this AB-2147 expungement. It was such an amazing feeling to stand before the same judge that sentenced me, only to have him congratulate me and thank me for what I do now. I’m currently almost done getting my associates degree in Fire Technology from Allan Hancock College. With this expungement I will be able to do EMT classes and hopefully get my EMT license upon completion. Over the summer of 2020 I was on the road for 60 days on most of the major fires. Creek Fire, El Dorado Fire, LNU lightning complex, and River Fire. I was able to work with the Santa Maria Fire Department, which is where my kids and kids’ mom live, and they encouraged me to apply. However with a felony I would not be able to work for a municipal fire department. Now I have a shot at being a firefighter paramedic and if I ever choose to, work for a municipal fire department At this moment in 2021, I’m in Kern County on a fire, and have been so for 40 days. My future goals are to stay on with CAL-FIRE, and someday hopefully become a Captain, to finish my fire technology classes and get my associates degree in Fire technology. Lastly, to get my EMT license and become a Firefighter Paramedic.”

art submissions Attention artists! As part of our inside voices series, highlighting the creativity of incarcerated people, we are now seeking artistic submissions!

Please send us any letter-sized art you would like us to share in print and with the outside world, which we can share on social media. Please only send letter-sized submissions, and we can profile your creativity and share it with the world!

Please send to ATTN: Newsletter Submission and see the back page for more instructions.

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our community in action

ARC members share their stories and advocate for criminal justice reform in the California state capitol.

We welcome home Juan, who had his JLWOP sentenced vacated! Our Ride home manager, Carlos, was there to pick him up as they celebrated his freedom.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Champion Juan Archuleta visited Pelican Bay State Prison. Juan, who is formerly incarcerated, delivered an inspiring message of hope and redemption to the men incarcerated at PBSP.

We congratulate all the ARC members who graduated from our 12th Second Chance Apprentice Cohort.

They are now on the path towards a career in the union with rising wages and long-term financial security.

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arc rafting trip

After canceling last year’s River Rafting Retreat, we were overjoyed to reconnect in true ARC style this year. Formerly incarcerated people from across California gathered together on the American River for a weekend of community. It was a weekend of hiking, rafting, laughter, and community building. At the same time, we ate and slept far from any city and experienced the wonders of nature.

The highlight was traversing the might river together and forging bonds with another while celebrating our freedom.

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Boundless: Fathers in Freedom ARC member and life coach Donnie McCleary shares how his children inspire him and the rewards of fatherhood.

Being a father means the world to me. It means I am responsible for this life that I helped create. It means I have finally grown up and can see now what my father did all that time I was picking boogers out of my nose. It means I understand sacrifice and am now the definition of that word. It means that my child’s life is now paramount, even greater than mine.

Photo Credit: Aaron Jay Young, as part of the “Boundless: Fathers in Freedom” series.

It means that I get to teach him the things I had to learn the hard way and hope he’ll be better off because of it. It means that the same respect I require of him is what I must demonstrate to him.

I think the most freeing part of fatherhood is that my daughter & son really seem to like being around me, and that they trust me. I think they think I did and am doing a good job.

What I love most about being a father is the struggle as they bloom.

Nothing is challenging about being a father if you love what you do. What I love most about my children is being able to watch them grow mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually while being by their side all the way.

Being behind bars for the time that I did allowed me to see all the things I couldn’t allow myself to do now. I am still learning some of those things today. Kashawnda and AJ, you have made me the proudest father in the history of fatherhood. For one of your fingers, I would cut off my hand and still be whole. The love I have for you both is immeasurable as it has depth & weight to sustain for a long time. I am now complete, thank you both and I love you.

free world podcast with guest tarra simmons We wanted to share an excerpt from our podcast Free World, which is a podcast about women reconstructing their lives after incarceration. We were joined by an amazing guest, Rep Tarra Simmons. Rep. Tarra Simmons, the first formerly incarcerated state legislator in Washington state history. Rep. Simmons is an elected official, a lawyer, an advocate, a mother, and the Executive Director of the Civil Survival Project. Tarra shares her powerful story of resilience and overcoming felony discrimination in our conversation: “I’ve been in and out of the system, juvenile hall, jails, and finally went to prison in 2011. I knew there was a different way to live, so I started to surround myself with older women who were further along on their healing journey, and they would mentor me to see my own self-worth. When I got out of prison, I started to find power in organizing with similar people who had lived experience and we’re still being shut out because of [past convictions]. If we want to live a law-abiding life, we still can’t do that because of the discrimination we face. I decided to go to law school to figure out how to change these laws and advocate for other people when they come home. I was doing well in law school, but they wouldn’t let me take the bar exam because of my past. I fought my case to the Supreme Court and won! I was able to become an attorney in Washington State. I later founded my own organization, The Civil Survivor Project, a grassroots group. We went to the Washington State capitol, sharing our stories to advocate for ban the box for employment, fines and fees reform, and many others. We found success in telling our stories to help drive change. Later, I ran for elected office, leading by sharing my lived experience. The first piece of legislation I got signed by the Governor restored the right to vote for everyone who returns home from prison. I was able to accomplish this because I had people who believed in me and in myself. My lived experience was fuel to why I am so committed and want to break generational cycles in my own family.”

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

Founded in 2013, the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) works to end mass incarceration in California. To ensure our communities are safe, healthy, and whole, 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 grassroots policy advocacy, we are dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system so that it is more just and equitable for all people.

Masthead Executive Director: Sam Lewis Associate Director of Inside Programs: Jacob Brevard Deputy Director: Bikila Ochoa

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.

Inside Newsletter Editor-in-Chief: Nicholas Reiner Deputy Editor: Josh Pynoos Design Editor: John Dich Women’s Update Editor: Norma Cumpian Operations: Oscar Bonilla

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, 2830 G Street, Suite 210, Sacramento, CA 95816 During this pandemic, we want to hear from you, and know what life is like, so we can help amplify your voices and the current state of life inside prison. Please write to us and tell us what needs to be done to keep you healthy and safe.

Please write to us at ATTN: #COVID-19 Submission, 1320 E. 7th Street, Suite 260, Los Angeles, CA 90021 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?

Are you returning home due to 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! Feel free to also write your commentary on public life or what’s happening in the world at large.

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!

Support Letters for Board Please be aware that it takes at least a month for us to have a support letter ready for the board. Help us help you and write to us within 3 months of your board date. We want you home!!

Thank you, ARC Staff

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 to your 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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