by Morgan Zamora, Ella Baker Center Prison Advocacy Manager Since its inception, the United States criminal legal system has been shaped by the racism upon which this country was built. Despite growing acknowledgement of this dark history and its harmful impacts, legislative leaders and judicial actors have made little progress toward remedying the life-altering consequences … [Read more...] about Legal Corner: Implementing the Racial Justice Act for All
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Penal Code § 4571 & Your First Amendment Rights
by Gillian Henry, LSPC Director of Development & Communications On August 9, 2021, Minister King X was arrested for his participation in a protest earlier that summer. Wrenched into a car by plainclothes officers at his workplace California Prison Focus, King was arrested for allegedly violating California Penal Code (PC) section 4571 by standing outside of a state … [Read more...] about Penal Code § 4571 & Your First Amendment Rights
Legal Corner: Advancing Food Justice in Reentry through FRESH Act Implementation
by Natalie Smith, LSPC Staff Attorney The winter holidays are filled with memories of food for many: sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, and roasted turkey evoke nostalgia and warmth. In California, CalFresh—also called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps—helps nearly 5 million people put food on the table.1 Although research … [Read more...] about Legal Corner: Advancing Food Justice in Reentry through FRESH Act Implementation
Theses on Labor, Exploitation, & Incarceration
by Eric C. Sapp, LSPC Staff Attorney Prefatory Note: This an abridged version of a text written in spring of 2023, in the context of advocacy regarding carceral wages. §1 Workers’ rights are human rights; let it be stated unequivocally that incarcerated workers are workers. §2 The prison and industrial capitalism arose in tandem. Carceral … [Read more...] about Theses on Labor, Exploitation, & Incarceration
Immigration, Citizenship, and the Constitution (Jurisprudence for Jailhouse Lawyers, Part VI)
by Eric C. Sapp, LSPC Staff Attorney Few provisions of the U.S. Constitution are clearer than the Fourteenth Amendment’s opening clause: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” U.S. Const. Amend. 14, Sec. 1 (emphasis added). Unambiguously, the … [Read more...] about Immigration, Citizenship, and the Constitution (Jurisprudence for Jailhouse Lawyers, Part VI)
