Criminal Justice & Policing
We advocate for a criminal justice system that is fair and free of bias, respects the dignity and rights of all who come into contact with it, and is centered on community-based solutions that prioritize rehabilitation and supportive services over punishment.
We fight for protections against law enforcement violence and abuse and for investments that keep us safe through community-led interventions, services and resources.
Our Focus:
We advocate for reforms to the criminal legal system, including pretrial, sentencing, and parole reforms, ending the death penalty and other extreme sentences, ensuring strong indigent defense systems, and ensuring that police and prosecutors are accountable to the communities that they serve.
2020 Legislative Victories
Families Over Fees Act (AB 1869): Ends the harmful and costly collection of 23 administrative fees imposed against people in the criminal system. By eliminating these fees, California will dramatically reduce the suffering caused by court-ordered debt and enhance the economic security and wellness of populations with system involvement.
Transgender Respect, Agency, And Dignity Act (SB 132): Requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to search and house transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people in its custody based on each person’s assessment of their own health and safety. By housing incarcerated transgender people based on their perception of health and safety, SB 132 will decrease their likelihood of experiencing targeting and violence. The bill also requires that facility staff, contractors, and volunteers use the gender pronouns and honorifics specified by incarcerated transgender people in all written and verbal communications.
Criminal Justice & Policing Legislation

Keep Facial Recognition Off Police Body Cameras (SB 1038)
Criminal Justice & Policing, Privacy & Technology, Racial and Economic Justice
Biometric Surveillance (face recognition) on police body cameras enables pervasive monitoring of the public without their knowledge or consent, registering and reporting who we are and where we go. These tracking systems are inconsistent. Facial …
Eliminating Law Enforcement Mandate in Schools (SB 1273)
Criminal Justice & Policing, Education Equity
Decades of research show the long-term harm to young people of even minimal contact with the juvenile or criminal legal systems. Once students make contact with law enforcement, they are less likely to graduate high …

Separating Duties of Sheriff’s and Coroner’s Offices (AB 1608)
Criminal Justice & Policing
All 58 counties in California have a sheriff’s department but not all have a separate coroner or medical examiner’s office. The duties of the coroner are currently combined with the sheriff’s department in 48 counties. …

Safer Streets for All Act (SB 357)
Criminal Justice & Policing, Reproductive Justice & Gender Equity
Everyone has a right to feel safe in their communities. California’s law that criminalizes loitering with intent to commit prostitution gives law enforcement a tool to harass and discriminate against Black and trans communities, particularly …

Racial Justice Act for All (AB 256)
Criminal Justice & Policing
The California Racial Justice Act (Act) prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a criminal conviction, or from imposing a sentence, based upon race, ethnicity or national origin (AB 2542). While this landmark Act made …

Abolish Unjust Fees for All Californians (Bradford) (AB 177)
Criminal Justice & Policing, Racial and Economic Justice
Currently, California law permits counties to charge people administrative fees for diversion programs, drug and alcohol testing, civil assessments, record sealing, and even a fee for being put on a payment plan. These fees can …