The state Assembly voted 59-0 to approve the California Abolition Act on March 21, which would amend the Constitution of California to end involuntary servitude in the state.
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.
In 2018, when Gov. Gavin Newsom was lieutenant governor in Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, California passed Senate Bill 10 (SB 10). It was landmark legislation that abolished the cash money bail system for defendants waiting for trial, and also gave judges more discretion to determine who will be sent to jail or not – based on risk.