AOUON Policy Update
We have officially wrapped up the 2023-2024 legislative session, one of the most challenging for criminal justice…
Returning Citizen Benjamin Frandsen Normalizes Byline and Photography Journalism in His Post-Carceral Return to Valley State Prison
For years, San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and Mule Creek State Prison have been the only carceral communities…
California Governor’s Latest Prison Reform Causes Community Concerns over State Prison Spending Capacities
By Avery Redula and Kayla Meraz SACRAMENTO, CA – California Gov. Gavin Newsom is under fire for…
City of Berkeley Launches Non-Police Mental Health Crisis Response Program.
By Miri Valenzuela In Berkeley, individuals facing mental health or substance abuse crises now have access to…
Non-Profit Org Causes Radical Transformation for Individuals in Prison
By Benjamin Frandsen CALIFORNIA—At the age of 16, Dwayne Betts was sentenced to nine years in…
Newsom Announces Transformation of San Quentin Prison into Rehabilitation Facility
Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons By Laurel Spear SAN QUENTIN, CA— California Governor…
California Lawmakers Introduce New Effort to Ban Involuntary Servitude as Punishment for Crime in California Prisons
By Gibran Khalil SACRAMENTO, CA – Lawmakers in California, as well as Nevada, are seeking to remove…
Bay Area Civil Rights Organizations Release a Joint Statement After the 4th Death at Santa Rita Jail in 6 Weeks
By Patty Yao Dublin, CA. – Cody Vanburen, 33, dies at Santa Rita Jail after suffering a…
TYRE NICHOLS CASE UPDATE: ALL FIVE FORMER OFFICERS PLEAD NOT GUILTY
Image via Reuters BY HUEY COLLETTE | STAFF WRITER FEB. 26, 2023 MEMPHIS, United States–On January 7,…
CA Prison Closure Plan Lauded by Mass Incarceration Opponents
By Michael Apfel and Ramneet Singh SACRAMENTO, CA – Chuckawalla State Prison and other California correctional facilities…
Maryland State Attorney Sentencing Review Unit Achieves New Milestone
By Alyssa Eng BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland State Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced that her Sentencing Review Unit has…
Santa Rita Jail Continues to Face Allegations Regarding Mistreatment, Security, and Health Concerns
By Ceray Seaton DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA — A number of lawsuits have been filed against Alameda County’s Santa…
Monday Morning Thoughts: Our Approach to Criminal Justice Is Like the Parable of Babies in the River
by David M. Greenwald Executive Editor During a recent forum, San Francisco DA candidate John Hamasaki criticized…
Gavin Newsom Signs SB 1008, making phone calls from California prisons free
By Gibran Khalil SACRAMENTO, CA – On Thursday Sept. 29, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1008,…
President Biden Pardons Thousands Convicted of Marijuana Possession
By Laurel Spear DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA – In a video statement released on Twitter on Oct. 6,…
Student Opinion: Baltimore Prosecutors Drop Charges against Adnan Syed
By Gibran Khalil BALTIMORE, MD – After the decision in mid-Sept. from a Baltimore judge to overturn…
Community Members Call for Transparency and Accountability from Alameda County Sheriff’s Office at Protest after Suspension of 47 Sheriff’s Deputies
By Patty Yao Oakland, CA — On Oct. 5, 2022, community advocates and families who…
Governor Newsom Vetoes Bill to Limit Solitary Confinement
By Laurel Spear SACRAMENTO, CA — On Sept. 29, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly…
New Data Shows Effects of Mass Incarceration on Californian Communities
By Wayne Chan SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In a new report, “Where people in prison come from:…
Report Claims ‘Long-Term Racist Policies’ in California Lead to Mass Incarceration
By The Vanguard Staff OAKLAND, CA – Criminal justice reform groups released a report Wednesday suggesting “long-standing…
