On Nov. 8, California voters will consider Proposition 57, a ballot initiative that would bring much-needed reform to the state’s juvenile and criminal justice systems. The measure, championed by youth justice advocates and Gov. Jerry Brown, is predicated on the values of rehabilitation and second chances.
If passed, Proposition 57 will extend opportunities for parole consideration, invite a revision to the prison system’s earned credit scheme and place the decision to transfer youth to adult criminal court into the hands of judges.
The measure would profoundly impact California’s approach to serious juvenile cases. Currently in California, county prosecutors are granted the authority to bypass the juvenile judge and directly file charges against a young person in adult court, a practice known as “direct file.”
Direct file subjects youth as young as 14 to a criminal courtroom and its risks of a lengthy prison term and lifelong felony conviction. For a young person, the experience of adult criminal court can be traumatic, exacerbating existing psychological needs and resulting in higher rates of recidivism.
[For more of this story, written by Maureen Washburn, go to http://jjie.org/californias-pr...ed-as-adults/336980/]
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