‘We’re All So Smart, Just Not Given Those Resources:’ How Education Can Transform California’s Justice System

(FONTANA, Calif.) — Results of the 2024 election have tested California’s progressive identity, especially with respect to criminal justice reform. With the failure of Proposition 6, which sought to abolish involuntary servitude in prisons, and the passage of Proposition 36, classifying some non-violent offenses as felonies, advocates are questioning the path forward. For many, the answer lies in one powerful tool for change: education.

Sitting in the chairs of a courtroom at 12 years old awaiting a decision that would impact her life, with her feet dangling off the ground, Jacqueline Rodriguez was arrested on charges of a nonviolent crime. Each day, she challenged the system and would speak up against any wrongdoing that occurred to her behind bars. At the age of 16, she managed to get herself out of the system. Over time, she has raised a daughter and son and enrolled at the College of San Mateo and went on to graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2022. Her story shows the transformative power of education in disrupting cycles of recidivism.

As a formerly incarcerated youth, Rodriguez overcame a difficult upbringing and systemic barriers, as she is now halfway through her second year at Stanford Law School.  Recounting her early experiences in juvenile detention, she said, “We were all mixed up- everyone’s in different grades. I [was] sat in the back, getting straight A’s but not really learning anything.”

There is evidence that educational programs for incarcerated individuals in California have reduced recidivism. According to a nonpartisan policy and research organization, California Competes, access to higher education for those within prisons lowers recidivism rates by 43 %. It also increases the likelihood of formerly incarcerated individuals being employed by 13 percent after being released. 

 

Rodriguez’s reflection of her journey through a fractured system spotlights how the absence of educational resources can further facilitate cycles of leaving young individuals unprepared for life beyond confinement.

As the state’s political landscape shifts from having a majority of the counties being blue-leaning to now red, the stability of programs that provide educational opportunities in prisons is increasingly uncertain. Investment in education both behind bars and in the formative years for an individual is critical and a practical solution to systemic harm. 

Organizations such as Books Through Bars  (BTB), at the University of California Irvine and University of California San Diego campuses, are bridging the gap. Despite the systemic obstacles like book bans imposed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), which prohibits over 1,600 titles including “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “48 Laws of Power,” and more, the two organizations are still finding ways to ensure that those seeking book titles receive them. 

Sarina Vega is a current master’s candidate in the Landscape and Architecture program  at the University of Southern California, she is a collective member for BTB at UC San Diego. She notes that the organization responds to more than 150 letters each month requesting books. Founded by UC San Diego alumni in the early 2010s, it operates as a volunteer-run mutual aid organization outside of the university structure relying on community donations and volunteer efforts. “Reading and books are everything… people on the inside [of these facilities] should have access to that, it should not be regulated,” Vega said. 

Her sister, Parisa Vega is a 4th year Environmental Science and Policy major at UC Irvine who oversees the program that formed through a collaboration with the Underground Scholars Initiative. She created the program in 2022 after being inspired as a former volunteer of the San Diego program.

“Books offer a sanctuary,” she said, reflecting on the impact of the program so far.  She offered to assist others who are interested in setting up their own programs to “make it accessible for everyone to use so that we can build off each other… anyone can contribute their skill sets.” Despite challenges with limited resources, BTB at both campuses also helps connect incarcerated individuals to vital resources such as legal help, expanding their efforts through events and partnerships.

Education for Liberation: The Youth Justice Coalition of Los Angeles’ Fight for Transformative Justice

 The evolving political climate has required many grassroot-based groups to be on high alert, bringing conversations for solutions beyond punitive measures to the forefront. Advocates like the Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) have spent more than two decades lobbying for systemic change within Los Angeles County, seeking to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and creating opportunities for systemic-impacted youth.

Emilio Zapién, a native Los Angeleno who works as the director of media and communications at YJC, said, “I wanted to tap back into local community and neighborhood-based work.”

The organization has established a small charter school, FREE (Fight for the Revolution that will Educate and Empower) L.A. High School  to serve system-impacted youth in South-Central LA and neighboring areas. The school operates without school resource officers or any law enforcement and instead utilizes the concept of peace building to run its programs. 

Two formerly incarcerated individuals teach the students safety replicated through emphasized topics such as trust and consistency within relationships. Zapién said the program is “practicing transformative justice, as an alternative to punishment and harm.” He also provided insight on trauma-informed practices as a way of navigating conversations with marginalized youth, which not only focuses on academics, but the emotional and psychological well-being of the students. 

Mental health remains a crucial conversation for those who are within the prison system. Incarcerated individuals experience an array of struggles such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression to name a few, which is heightened by isolation, alongside other qualities of the prison system. Through the integration of mental health support into these spaces, recidivism rates could be lowered significantly, according to a study conducted by Omni Therapy. 

A significant number of youths within the state of California identify as being system-impacted. According to a recent study conducted by the Administration for Children and Families, as of 2022 approximately 45,924 children were in foster care, making California the state with the greatest number of foster placements. Juvenile arrests also remain a concern, with 50.1% of arrests being for felony offenses and 40% for misdemeanors in 2023. These statistics highlight the critical need for educational and support programs to directly challenge and address the multifaceted obstacles that at-risk youth face within the state. 

 Central to the YJC, the push for relevant and inclusive curriculum within schools that reflect the histories of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities is imperative. According to Zapién,  “young people need to learn about their own history, of revolutionary struggle and organizing, instead of learning about how our ancestors were colonized.” With this, he said, comes the criticism of military presence in low-income schools, which highlights how environments with such funnel students into exploitative systems that hinder opportunities that could otherwise empower them.  

Despite political setbacks, Zapién remains hopeful on behalf of the YJC. “Our people give me hope, our team is so tough and resilient, [ with] what we do at our space. It’s not perfect, its messy, staff members have been directly impacted by a lot of these issues [while] holding space for others, it gives me a lot of that oomph.”  

Jacqueline Rodriguez exclaimed how access to education within juvenile and carceral facilities could serve as a powerful tool against recidivism, “We are all so smart, we just were not given those resources… I know it would have made a huge difference in the way we view education, our actions, we would have something to live for.” A child’s academic participation and achievement carries influence with regards to their entry and exit from the justice system. 

Through this, she discovered advocacy and self-education, with the support of initiatives such as Project Change and the Underground Scholars, “These individuals are motivating me to push forward, to really pursue my career, it’s just so empowering.”  Her work extends beyond personal growth, Rodriguez testified in support of legislation such as SB716, which promotes educational opportunities for incarcerated youth. 

Paving the Way Forward: Overcoming Resistance to Build a More Equitable Educational System

Barriers have become prominent in recent years; Rodriguez gave light to resistance regarding cooperative career and academic preparation (CCAP) agreements. In the past year, she has conducted research that utilized a comparative legislative analysis model that focused on AB 102 and AB288. Through this, they noted that there was resistance on behalf of some of the colleges. Her work is spotlighting how funding is poured into these programs and how they can be leveraged in order to further the efforts. 

An additional key challenge is ensuring incarcerated individuals have the resources needed to succeed academically, which surpasses tuition-free programs such as the Board of Governors (BOG) waiver. Awareness of existing support systems such as the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) is lacking sufficiency. The DOR seeks to provide funding for tuition, school supplies and other required materials for individuals who identify with having a disability. Those who are system-impacted qualify for such due to trauma. Rodriguez calls attention to a solution, “It’s being able to see yourself within these individuals that come in and provide you that support.” 

For her, education is a tool that is designed to disrupt generational cycles of harm, “Nothing great comes easy, if it seems difficult- it is still going to be difficult next year, and in two years, so you might as well just get through that hard part right now and make it happen.” She looks forward to continuing her work in curating a more rehabilitative and restorative future for the prison to education pipeline. 

Education is proving itself to be an effective tool in breaking cycles of recidivism. The determination to extend this narrative on behalf of advocates and other community members remains steadfast among activists. 

California’s identity as a leader in reform now hinges on its ability to uphold and further expand these efforts, as a way of proving that equitable solutions can rise even in the face of adversity within politics.

“I think it’s really important to keep the development of these programs going and the momentum of that… the more we push, even if it is one more state that is looking at us and thinking ‘Wait, California is making all these moves’ that is something. People getting inspired from [this] exposure is so important.” Rodriguez vocalized.