Criminal Justice Reform Position

Criminal Justice Reform Position

Criminal Justice In California (main page)

This page is for anyone interested in Criminal Justice.

Here you'll find extensive information created and overseen by our volunteers. We also have:

  1. Short official LWVC.org Criminal Justice page, overseen by LWVC staff.
  2. National Engagement Page for non-California League members.
  3. LWV California Criminal Justice Toolkit for California League members.

The Issue

The role of the criminal justice system is to prevent crime and promote public safety. Current research indicates successful systems focus on pre-trial diversion, rehabilitation and preventing recidivism. Some communities experience excessive force and surveillance by the police. People waste away in prisons serving extreme sentences. A growing national bipartisan consensus exists that the current criminal justice system needs reform to ensure its constitutionality and cost effectiveness, community participation is essential.

The most effective criminal justice reforms consider the safety and well being of both peace officers and the communities they serve, especially people most impacted. It’s time to re-think the humanity of those who do harm, as well as understand the support — e.g. adequate training, clear performance standards, mental health services — required by law enforcement.

It is our interest group's goal to encourage everyone to reform the criminal justice system through education and advocacy.

What You Can Do

LWV California and Local Leagues are hosting events, partnering with local groups and coalitions, holding workshops and forums, speaking out at government meetings, taking action on state bills and local legislation, and more. There are many ways for you to get involved locally, regionally, or statewide.

We have an inclusive, open approach to organizing -- calling people into this work rather than creating barriers to participation -- so if you are new to these issues we want to be sure you begin by educating yourself. Learn from people who are most impacted by the criminal justice system. Be a good community member, by finding out who is already active in your circles and what they’re prioritizing and why. Support their work.

Start here:

  1. Suggested Reading on Criminal Justice

  2. Definition of Criminal Justice Terms

  3. Terms / Statements to Avoid

Three things every Californian can do right now:

  1. Become a member of the League!
  2. Join the movement to end the death penalty at https://www.safecalifornia.org/
  3. Attend our training on January 31, 2023 at noon "Know Your Rights: California Public Meetings." The First Amendment Coalition’s open-government experts will provide in-depth training on your rights to access public meetings in California. The presentation will focus on the Ralph M. Brown Act’s open-meeting requirements for local legislative bodies, including recent law changes that affect teleconferencing and decorum rules. Register now.

Three things League members can do right now:

  1. Join our Criminal Justice GoogleGroup.
  2. We have a fantastic LWVC Criminal Justice Toolkit here: https://my.lwv.org/california/criminal-justice-local-league-toolkit
  3. Invite your community to attend our training on January 31, 2023 at noon "Know Your Rights: California Public Meetings." The First Amendment Coalition’s open-government experts will provide in-depth training on your rights to access public meetings in California. The presentation will focus on the Ralph M. Brown Act’s open-meeting requirements for local legislative bodies, including recent law changes that affect teleconferencing and decorum rules. Register now.

Who Is Leading This and Why?

Following our statewide convention in 2017, a LWV California Criminal Justice Task Force was created to review criminal justice positions from state and local Leagues across the country. Based on that research, they drafted this Criminal Justice position so that local Leagues can educate and advocate. At the 2019 LWV California Convention the position was adopted and Criminal Justice Reform was also made a key issue statewide.

The original task force disbanded after Convention, but those interested in this issue created an informal LWVC Criminal Justice Reform Interest Group to work on this priority. We have monthly calls and there are usually at least a dozen participants from all over the state. Any League member is welcome to participate in our calls, even if they’re not from California. We generally operate by consensus, are volunteers at the state and local levels and collaborate extensively with state and local staff, and adhere to League policies, procedures, mission, vision and values. Several of our members have been appointed to state-level positions, such as: state board, Deputy Area Director, and Legislative Analyst.

Email us at criminaljustice [at] lwvc.org.