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Reforming the California Youth Authority

The film Books Not Bars examines the youth-led movement demading reformation to the juvenile prison system. The Books Not Bars movement has been instumental in calling attention to the systemic abuses taking place in California Youth Authority (CYA). After two teens, Durrell Feaster, 18, and Deon Whitfield, 17, committed suicide in their prison cells last year, an investigation of the center began. Video cameras throughout the CYA uncovered extreme brutality that included sexual assault, chemical spraying and locking youth in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Govenor Schwarzenegger announced a plan last month to transform the CYA into a center focues on rehabilitation and not punishment. This rehabilitation model used in States such as Missouri have been proven extremely effective with recidivism rates drastically lower than California. An article published on AlterNet yesterday explains some of the proposed changes and why some activists believe it is too good to be true. READ the article Unlocking the System on AlterNet

Published on February 16, 2005

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