SACRAMENTO, October 11, 2007 – An official signing ceremony was held at San Bernadino High School today for AB 1300, The Family Connection and Juvenile Offender Rehabilitation Act of 2007, authored by Assemblymember Curren Price (D- Inglewood).   “It is symbolic that the signing of AB1300, took place on the campus of a California high school, where young people are surrounded by books rather than bars,” said Assemblymember Price.  “It is my sincere belief that this legislation will provide real opportunity for young offenders to rehabilitate and pursue their dreams beyond prison bars, as productive members of our communities.”

AB 1300, which will go into effect on January 1, 2008, was authored as a result of Assemblymember Price’s extensive work with families of juvenile offenders through the nonprofit advocacy organization Books Not Bars.    Families have found that both the bureaucracy and associated costs of maintaining relationships with their incarcerated children are difficult or prohibitive, resulting in institutionalized problem children with no understanding of their families’ lack of communication.  Research shows that there is a direct correlation between increased offender contact with their family and lower recidivism rates.    “Families are absolutely key to long-term success and rehabilitation,” said Sumayyah Waheed, an attorney with Books Not Bars, “They provide direction and hope for young people of a future outside of concrete prison walls.”
           
AB 1300 is a package of measures that will help reduce recidivism while emphasizing rehabilitation. Specifically, it provides the following:  Encouraged communication with family members and the clergy, and participation in education, rehabilitation and victim accountability programs; Approved correspondence and visitation lists shall be transferable from facility to facility, to avoid unduly interruption of family and community communication; A minimum of four family telephone calls allowed per month, with restriction of those calls not to be imposed as a disciplinary measure; and Establishes a toll-free phone number for families to call regarding visiting times and updates.

Among the families working with Assemblymember Price and Books Not Bars were those of young men who had died in state custody.  “I truly believe that if CYA had let me see him … my brother would be alive today,” said      Renee Nunez, surviving sister of young Joseph Maldonado, who died of suicide, while incarcerated in 2005.   “AB 1300 is legislative in design but curative in application,” said Price. “We live in a time where juveniles can be influenced by gangs and other criminal elements that may put them behind bars, but we can now help them transform their lives and, ultimately, make our communities safer when they are released.”

Assemblymember Curren Price serves the 51st Assembly District, which includes Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Playa Vista, Westchester, Lawndale, West Athens, Lennox, Alondra Park, West Compton, Del Aire, and Willowbrook, as well as portions of the unincorporated area of Ladera.