Activists supporting legislation that would have ended involuntary servitude in California Prisons and eliminate the word “slavery” from California’s Constitution say they may have lost a battle, but they will not back down until their goals are achieved.
Starting in July, California’s youth prisons will no longer be accepting new inmates, with a few exceptions. The state is moving most of the estimated 750 children it currently houses in its three remaining detention centers to rehabilitation facilities.
In California, the percentage of Black youth among incarcerated juveniles in California is nearly six times the percentage of African American children in the state. Children serving time in juvenile prisons are 30% Black and about 60% Latino even though African Americans account for nearly 6 % of California’s total population of about 40 million people. Latinos make up about 39 %
For 24 years now, Samual Brown – who was convicted for attempted murder in Sacramento – has been serving time in California state prisons. Right now, he is at a correctional facility in Lancaster, a Los Angeles County town northeast of L.A. While in prison, Brown says he has evolved. In addition to earning an associate degree, Brown will be awarded his B.A. from CSU Los Angeles in the Spring, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.