Dear John xxxxxx, 

At ARC we believe that incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and their voices should be at the forefront of our work. We know that for justice reform efforts to advance in a way that is inclusive of the needs of our community, we need to be the ones sharing our stories.
 
This is why a key part of our efforts to end mass incarceration includes empowering and mobilizing formerly incarcerated people – especially our young people returning home from custody. We accomplish this through leadership development programming, community organizing, and direct policy advocacy. This year, we hired a cohort of Youth Policy Fellows on our advocacy team.
 
Will you make a gift today in support of our work to uplift the stories of system-impacted people?

DONATE NOW

 
Our bi-monthly, trauma-informed advocacy trainings set out to 1) inform our Members of the current juvenile justice and re-entry policy landscape, and 2) provide Members with tools to share their experiences to advocate for fairer and more humane criminal justice policies.
 
Following these trainings, ARC works with several local and statewide advocacy organizations to create opportunities for members to lend their voices to justice reform efforts. This work has led to several important improvements in California’s justice system, and this policy season alone we advocated for the passage of five new laws that have made our criminal justice system more equitable.
 
These reforms include:
 

• A constitutional amendment restoring the right to vote to over 50,000 Californians on parole
• Provisions to make sure youth 17 years or younger fully understand their Miranda rights by requiring they consult with legal counsel before they waive their rights
• Creating an Office of Youth Justice within the Department of Health and Human Services
• Allowing more individuals to qualify for expungement
• Eliminating 23 administrative criminal justice fees, which unfairly targeted poor people

                              

 
Thanks to our Members and key advocates, these reforms have made our justice system fairer. This is the progress we hope to continue seeing in 2021 and the years ahead – but we can’t do this alone. We need your help to sustain this crucial work.
 

DONATE NOW

 
On behalf of ARC Members, staff, and myself – thank you.
 
Sincerely,


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Sam Lewis
Executive Director