Inspiring ARC member Miguel Garcia is new Policy Coordinator at ARC.
Meet Miguel Garcia, ARC's new Policy Coordinator, who has been an ARC member for five years.
Dear John xxxxxx,
Last week, I completed my first week as Sacramento Coordinator of Policy and Community Organizing at ARC. This marks another crucial step in my journey to work on behalf of people who have been impacted by our criminal justice system.
In 2013, as a 19-year old, I sat in Ventura Youth Correctional Facility wondering about my future and the futures of those around me, how we got here, and how we could leave. All around me, as in many spaces of incarceration, there were many young people feeling a sense of hopelessness.
Then one day ARC founder Scott Budnick walked into my unit to speak on the importance of SB 260. What was meant to be a policy presentation provided me with so much more. (Sponsored by ARC in coalition with other organizations, SB 260 was a bill that allowed people who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crime, tried as an adult, and sentenced as an adult to be eligible for a Youth Offender Parole Board hearing.) This landmark bill would allow people who previously had little hope of freedom the chance to finally come home.
SB 260 did not apply to me--I had been sentenced already to do time in the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Still, Scott’s presentation left me feeling hope, purpose, and a deep urgency to do something about the conditions of those around me. Incarcerated as a youth, I saw firsthand how excessive and punitive sentencing policies could drain even the brightest young person of all hope. If SB 260 was going to give some of the young men around me a second chance at life, I wanted to help. However, I didn’t know where to begin…. So, I reached out to staff on the living unit and asked if they could help identify my State Assembly representative: Jose Medina. The next week, from my cell in DJJ I wrote and subsequently sent my first letter in support of SB 260.
Months went by and my discharge date was rapidly approaching. As a young 19-year-old, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. During this time of uncertainty, Scott—who had now become a mentor—informed me that Assemblymember Medina had received and read the letter I wrote months earlier and that he was interested in having me come to his office to interview for an internship!
Just twelve months after writing that letter to Assemblymember Medina from my cell, I completed a six-month internship in his district office and dove headfirst into criminal justice advocacy. This was just the beginning of my journey, an upward trajectory of hard work and vision, and support from my community.
At Riverside College, I obtained three associate degrees while working two to three jobs and nurturing my passion for advocacy and community involvement. I transferred to UC Riverside despite feeling intimidated and out of place. I kept moving forward in part because of my commitment to be the first in my family to get a college degree. Filled with determination, I eventually obtained my bachelor's degree in political science and international relations - one step closer to my next goal of becoming an attorney.
Miguel graduated from UC Riverside with a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege to work with government, public, and private organizations. I’ve also been fortunate to learn and work alongside some of the foremost criminal justice experts such as Elizabeth Calvin, of Human Rights Watch, who serves on the ARC Board, and Frankie Guzman, Director of California Youth Justice Initiative at the National Center for Youth Law, who are both models of hard work and dedication on behalf of others.
I’ve benefitted greatly from the mentorship of both Scott and Elizabeth. I took Scott’s example of punctuality and hustling through the grind (a.k.a the “grustle”) to get where I am today. Working with Elizabeth over the years has been rewarding beyond measure, and inspires my interest in becoming an attorney. The amount of knowledge she carries about the California criminal justice system has spurred so much positive change for people, young and old, and I am always wanting to learn more from her.
Miguel alongside ARC members at the State Capitol advocating for SB 1391, a bill passed in 2018 that ensured 14 and 15 year olds could not be charged as adults.
The advocacy work I do is important to me because I see that people of all walks of life are still struggling to move forward. I do this work because I want to tear down any barriers that keep people from reaching their full potential, so that they can better their lives and those of their families.
When I came home, I carried hope from Scott and other folks that I could transform my life. I can see now that my younger self was afraid of failing and being rejected by society. But it was through the hope and belief of my mentors and community that I knew that I could make it. Even if I did fail, I knew I could get back up and reach out for support from my ARC family.
Being an ARC member means I am part of a real community. No matter where I go, that community will be there for me and I will be there for my fellow members. I am thrilled and grateful that my journey in this work continues forward. Years ago, I saw ARC's work transform people's futures. As ARC's new Sacramento Coordinator of Policy and Community Organizing, I look forward to creating a better world for our loved ones who are still incarcerated and those who have returned to our community.
With gratitude,
Miguel Garcia
Policy Coordinator
Miguel A. Garcia is a Policy Coordinator with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. As a former Program Associate with the Restorative Justice Project at Impact Justice, Miguel helped assist jurisdictions throughout California and other states in customizing and implementing restorative youth diversion models to meet local/community/jurisdictional needs. He also helped in developing materials related to restorative juvenile diversion, including policy and procedures manuals, reports, presentations, reports, and other materials. As a public policy fellow with Human Rights Watch, he worked in California’s Inland Empire and Fresno area to educate community members on why the state should not charge 14-and 15-year-olds as adults.
Miguel served as the youngest commissioner ever appointed to the Riverside County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Committee. He is a former Board Member, for the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. He was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to California’s State Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Miguel is also a Youth Engagement Consultant for the Annie E. Casey Juvenile Justice Strategy Group Youth Advisory Council and Northwestern University’s Center for Child Trauma, Assessment, Services, and Intervention.
Miguel received his bachelor’s degrees in political science and international relations from the University of California, Riverside. He has three associate degrees from Riverside City College. Aside from his work and academics, he is heavily involved in his community as a youth justice advocate, a passion that began after his own experiences with the justice system as a teenager. Miguel plans to attend law school to continue his advocacy work in youth justice and human rights.
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