Posts Tagged as "Prop 47"

API’s and Prop. 47 – Overcoming the Stigma of Incarceration

March 15, 2016 / By
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“In the API community, specifically, there is a lot of stigma against having a criminal background,” says Michael Maiko, a case manager at Long Beach’s Asian Pacific Counseling Services. “Your family’s unhappy with you, your parents, your elders … It creates anxiety and repression.” Feeding into that stigma, community advocates say, are the stereotypes surrounding APIs as the “model minority,” creating pressure to maintain an image of success even when the reality may be far from it.

Prop. 47 Can Turn 2016 into the ‘Year of Mercy’

February 16, 2016 / By
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I believe it was the my faith community, drug treatment, and school intervention counselors that saved my life. These are the institutions that Prop. 47 dollars should fund, not more investment in policing and jails – which is a concern among advocates of Prop. 47, and is completely contrary to the redemptive nature of the law.

From ‘Second Sentence’ to ‘Second Chance’

February 11, 2016 / By
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“I really felt the stigma of being a convicted felon,” said Hernandez as he reminisced about his experience. “You are told that once you do your time, you can live free, but in reality the second part of your sentence begins when you are released.”

In World’s Largest Female Prison, Prisoners Organize for Health

July 14, 2015 / By
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My heart begins to pound as I enter the gym at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) on the outskirts of Chowchilla, about 20 miles south of Merced. Within moments memories of my own time behind bars flood my mind.

Prop. 47’s Second Battle — Getting the Word Out

May 12, 2015 / By
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The Public Defender’s Office began meeting with potential applicants as early as December of last year. “I see around 10 people every week,” said Andrade. “The application process is long and takes time because it's on a case by case basis.”