- The reason people are on probation for so long is to keep people in a revolving door so that courts can justify their millions of dollars in funding these systems. – Sandy Valenciano
By Sandy Valenciano, Project Director for All Youth Are Sacred
We are on the cusp of creating real change for youth who are in the juvenile justice system in California. I believe that we can live in a California that embraces all youth as sacred and sees young people for more than their worst mistakes. AB 1376, which would end endless probation for youth, has a viable opportunity to be passed by our legislature. If so, it would allow youth to have their probations properly reviewed, not have to participate in unpaid work programs or pay a fine, and have their probation tailored to their needs. In short, it would give them more of a voice in their personal situation, instead of being solely in the hands of the juvenile justice system — a system which, sadly, so often fails our youth.
As someone who has worked with youth for over a decade and in youth justice for more than five years, this bill matters to me because many of the young people I know are either on probation, formerly on probation or have a loved one impacted by probation. I see every day how, in already growing up being overlooked and marginalized by the world, they were often put in situations that they did know how to get out of, or thought would be an escape from their own home and family lives — but ended up changing them for the worse. They are still growing and learning, and deserve a chance to move forward.
People fail to see probation as an extension of the carceral system, and that creates a challenge in exposing how probation is the primary factor in keeping people incarcerated. As long as you’re on probation, you’re not fully out of the system and you can’t thrive.
The reason people are on probation for so long is to keep people in a revolving door so that courts can justify their millions of dollars in funding these systems. At the end of the day, these courts are businesses, and you have to keep these businesses going — ironically enough, on the backs of Black and Brown people.
The irony in all of this is that probation departments have the opportunity to divert the millions of dollars they spend on reform to housing, treatment programs, education and vocation programs, mental health services — but the ratio of probation officers to a young person is wildly higher than a teacher to a young person. It trickles down to keeping as many youth in the system as possible, and they end up paying the price for something they should have never been indebted for in the first place.
Furthermore, I have seen the trends of how many people are funneled into the immigration system that had been impacted by the criminal legal system. They transitioned from the juvenile system to the adult system — and were then deported. The system is built for people to have no chance — and that is highly unjust and unfair.
If this bill were passed, thousands of young people could be given an opportunity to be reintegrated to the community without having a weight on their back. That means opportunities for jobs, education, mentorship and truly learning from their mistakes. We can’t keep perpetuating this cycle, and we can’t keep failing our youth. We deserve to give youth the chance to learn their lesson in a decent amount of time — and then move on and build a life for themselves. AB 1376 has the power to do that. In passing it, it’s a chance for our government to really say “we see you, and we care.” We as a society cannot pass this opportunity up.
