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In the News

California Looks to Santa Clara County Model to Stop Incarceration of Girls

Posted by: YWFC
January 27, 2023

Published by The Mercury News

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – After spending her teenage years in and out of juvenile detention, Arabella Guevara was used to crowded conditions such as mattresses on the floor and girls triple-bunked in cells meant for two.

But nothing prepared Guevara for her final stint at the 96-bed William F. James Ranch in Morgan Hill. As other young women finished their terms and headed home, no one arrived to replace them. By June 2020, Guevara, who had been arrested on car theft and burglary charges, found herself alone with a handful of probation staff.

“It was depressing,” said Guevara, 19, of San Jose. “You’re already away from your family and friends. And now you’re just by yourself.”

What Guevara didn’t know was that the quiet around her reflected a flurry of activity on the outside involving the local courts, probation department, prosecutors, mental health providers and community groups. Santa Clara County’s Juvenile Justice Gender Responsive Task Force had been meeting regularly in service of an ambitious goal: ending the incarceration of girls.

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Read More from In the News

LA County prepares to relocate youth from troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

After a judge approved a plan earlier this month to begin clearing out the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, the Los Angeles County Probation Department says it has begun the process of transferring incarcerated young people between camps to prepare for the transition.

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YWFC May 27, 2025

$4 Billion Dollars in Sexual Abuse Settlement, But Girls Are Still Locked Up in L.A.

In the days since the news broke that Los Angeles County had agreed to pay $4 billion to nearly 7,000 people who were victims of sexual abuse while locked in juvenile detention facilities or child welfare group homes, …

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YWFC May 6, 2025

In the face of Trump attacks, Santa Clara County will fly the transgender flag 365 days a year

Monday’s celebration, which included a performance from Monarcas — the first Latina transgender dance group in the South Bay — took place ahead of the Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31.

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YWFC March 25, 2025
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YWFC in the News

LA County prepares to relocate youth from troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

YWFC May 27, 2025

$4 Billion Dollars in Sexual Abuse Settlement, But Girls Are Still Locked Up in L.A.

YWFC May 6, 2025

In the face of Trump attacks, Santa Clara County will fly the transgender flag 365 days a year

YWFC March 25, 2025

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