Please Call the State Senate and Urge them to VOTE YES for SB 439 Establish a minimum age of 12 for youth who can be charged with a crime and processed through the juvenile court system. Currently, California has no minimum age, and very young children can be prosecuted and detained. SB 439 (Mitchell, Lara) will support the establishment of a minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction for the following reasons: 1. Formal justice processing is harmful to children’s health and development, exposing them, unnecessarily, to a system that they do not fully understand; 2. Early-age involvement in the justice system is increasingly rare and characterized by high rates of case dismissal, meaning that counties are spending wastefully on these cases; 3. Early-age court processing in California is based increasingly on race, income and where you live; 4. There is increasing national and international support for minimum age laws; and 5. Alternative services outside of the juvenile justice system – such as community-and family-based health and mental health, education, and child welfare services – can better meet the needs of young people while maintaining public safety. Please call tomorrow to express your strong support for SB 439. Please also share this information with other people! Please call these Senators by the end of tomorrow (Tuesday, May 2, 2017): Senator Galgiani San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties (916) 651-4005 Senator Glazer Alameda and Contra Costa counties (916) 651-4007 Senator Hill San Mateo and Santa Clara counties (916) 651-4013 Senator Hueso San Diego and Imperial Counties (916) 651-4040 Senator Mendoza Los Angeles and Orange counties (916) 651-4032 Senator Roth Riverside County (916) 651-4031 A sample of what to say on the call is included below. If you live in the Senator's district, be sure and let them know. "Hello, my name is _____ and I'm calling to urge Senator ______ to vote YES on SB 439, which will set a minimum age for prosecution on the juvenile court. The bill has passed Senate Public Safety Committee and will come to the Senate floor soon. I strongly support SB 439 because we need just and humane alternatives to juvenile halls and courts - especially for children under the age of 12. Exposing those 11 and younger to formal justice system processing is harmful to their health and development. By passing SB 439, California will show clear support for the welfare of the youngest people impacted by the system and force recognition of their the needs and vulnerabilities of young children." Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/ YouthJusticeCoalition Youth Justice Coalition
