Publicado por The Davis Vanguard
SACRAMENTO, CA – In 2021 alone, more than 1,400 girls and gender-expansive youth were either incarcerated or detained in California, according to information provided this week by a coalition that notes the youths are disproportionately of color, LGBTQ, and poor.
Yet, justice proponents said research has shown that the low-level offenses for which these youths are typically criminalized for can be effectively mitigated through community-based programs. However, correctional facilities are largely still unable to provide such programs.
“Through our partnership with Vera and Santa Clara County, we’ve built alternatives to incarceration that move girls and gender-expansive youth from system involvement to self-determination,” said Abigail Richards, Co-Executive Director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, which provides support, mentorship, training, employment, and advocacy to young women and trans youth of all genders in California with public system involvement.