ARTICLE TAG

SB 1391

5/28/2019

Report Pitches Alternatives to Detention for Youth Charged as Adults

With fewer youth across the nation ending up in the adult criminal justice system, a report from the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) highlights ways to better serve youth charged as adults outside of detention.

5/15/2019

California Court Upholds Contested State Law that Keeps Youth Under 16 Out of Adult Prison

An appellate court in California has upheld the controversial 2018 law that prevents youth under the age of 16 from entering the adult criminal justice system. Since being signed into law in October 2018, district attorneys from a number of California counties have challenged Senate Bill 1391, arguing that it unconstitutionally amends Proposition 57, a 2016 ballot measure that gave judges the power to decide if a juvenile offender should be transferred to adult court.

3/1/2019

More than 100 Legal Experts Defend California’s New Juvenile Justice Law

As the controversy around SB 1391 — the new law in California that prevents youth younger than 16 years old from entering the adult criminal justice system — continues to play out in courts across the state, a group of legal scholars have issued a white paper defending the law’s constitutionality.

1/30/2019

Landmark Juvenile Justice Reform Challenged by California DAs

Several California district attorneys have launched an effort to roll back a landmark juvenile justice reform in California, a fight that both sides expect will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court of California.

10/1/2018

California Governor Signs Off on Sweeping Juvenile Justice Legislation

Just hours before the end of this year’s legislative session, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law several far-reaching juvenile justice bills. Brown endorsed a bill that will prevent the transfer of 14- and 15-year-olds into adult criminal court; provide internet access for youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system; bar children ages 11 and younger from the jurisdiction of the juvenile court; and limit the amount of time youth who are deemed mentally incompetent can spend in juvenile halls, among other legislation.

8/14/2018

Bill Would Prohibit California from Sending Youth Under 16 to Adult Courts

A violent riot broke out in the yard on Michael Mendoza’s very first day in a state prison — a stark wake-up call to his new reality. At age 15, Mendoza had been tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison.