Governor Newsom has embarked on a massive $380M expansion of the decrepit 171-year-old San Quentin State Prison, leveraging co-opted language from the criminal justice reform movement in an attempt to rebrand the facility as a beacon of rehabilitation. Currently and formerly incarcerated leaders have developed actionable plans for improving conditions and honoring the dignity of people inside without wasting millions on prison infrastructure. In May, California Criminal Justice Funders Group (CCJFG) released a statement opposing Newsom's plans and encouraging philanthropy to join us in urging the Governor to align his strategies with grassroots movement leaders who are demanding a plan to close more state prisons, reduce corrections spending, and invest in communities.
Join CCJFG and Heising-Simons Foundation for a panel discussion with community organizations working inside and outside of prison to halt Newsom's prison expansion project. We will hear from representatives from the Ella Baker Center, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, and the People in Blue who will discuss community-led solutions that do not expand the prison system, and learn why the Governor's "California Model" of incarceration could lead to a new wave of increased prison spending across the nation.
