Fixing the Criminal Justice System

 MidPeninsula Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California presents

Fixing the Criminal Justice System

California’s Criminal justice system is broken. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change it. The state has reached its breaking point through the catastrophic convergence of a state budget crisis, the expansion of the prison industrial complex, federal and state policies that resulted in mass incarceration of poor people and communities of color, and a mandate from the federal court to reduce the overcrowding in our state prisons.

David A. Moss experienced the state at its worst, as he went to jail   14 times for a drug addiction which went untreated. In a dynamic and engaging performance, David shines light on the opportunity that we have today. “Instruments of Change: Our Time to Speak” highlights the issues with the current system through David’s personal story, and advocates for evidence-based alternatives to incarceration.

The Public Safety Realignment Act (AB109) took effect on October 1, 2011, transferring substantial program and fiscal responsibilities for our criminal justice system from state to county authorities. Novella Coleman, a Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Fellow in the ACLUNC office, has been tracking the realignment planning process in Santa Clara County for the past several months. She is uniquely qualified to brief us on progress to date and ways in which we can advocate for effective evidence-based programs.

Wednesday, May 23      Reception: 6:45 pm      Program: 7:00 pm

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto                                                                                                                     505 East Charleston Road

Directions:  http://www.uucpa.org/main/location

Information:  www.aclunc-midpen.org