Pursuit of Democracy for Those Most Impacted
Last Spring, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) led its 11th annual Quest for Democracy (Q4D), a day of critical advocacy turning out hundreds of people to converge on the Capitol to demonstrate our collective power and make a positive impact. Each year, the policy team leads robust trainings that empower impacted community members to find their voice and speak to the need for certain reforms from their own personal experiences.
Q4D is a critical strategy to facilitate a passage of legislative reforms. Last year’s Q4D boasted 37 legislative visits that were instrumental in these policy wins:
- AB 1186, ending youth restitution and forgiving old fines;
- SB 1254, enabling enrollment to CalFresh benefits and other social service programs prior to release from state prisons and county jails; and
- AB 1810, expanding access to menstrual products in state prisons.
Most important for California’s history was the overwhelming passage of ACA 8, which led to Proposition 6 on the November ballot. If passed by the public, forced labor in prisons would be abolished in California, the last vestige of slavery for the state. Although Prop 6 did not pass, 6,837,517 people voted yes, a testament to a growing movement.
During Q4D last year Tylon Sizemore shared: “We need to be the voice of the voiceless. A lot of people don’t feel strong or feel like anybody will hear us. So I’m going to go back and bring more people for next year because I’m a believer and this is dope.”
Preparation for 2025’s Q4D is already underway. On May 19th, policies such as Three Strikes reform, incarcerated work standards for extreme heat, and reuniting families through visitation will be a few of many reforms that will be advocated for during this event. Participants, sponsors, and volunteers are all welcome. Donate at bit.ly/donate2LSPC or contact us at info@prisonerswithchildren.org to get involved in the country’s largest organizing apparatus for formerly incarcerated individuals. We hope to see you there!
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Donate now!https://prisonerswithchildren.org/
Development Director
(415) 255-7036
Mission
LSPC organizes communities impacted by the criminal justice system and advocates to release incarcerated people, to restore human and civil rights, and to reunify families and communities. We build public awareness of structural racism in policing, the courts, and the prison system, and we advance racial and gender justice in all our work.
Begin to Build a Relationship
We know you care about where your money goes and how it is used. Connect with this organization’s leadership in order to begin to build this important relationship. Your email will be sent directly to this organization’s Director of Development and/or Executive Director.
In California, one in three of our residents-our friends, neighbors, and family members-has a criminal history. Even in the toughest circumstances, people have the potential to learn, grow, and recreate themselves.
Help Build Strong, Safe Communities, One Returning Individual At a Time
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) is asking for individual donations to cover program costs for their Elder Freeman Policy Fellowship. The Fellowship is an intensive 12-month program for formerly incarcerated individuals, who are returning to their community, that teaches them grassroots organizing, legislative and administrative advocacy, and other strategies to run local and state campaigns with the important goal of elevating the leadership of formerly incarcerated people in criminal justice reform.
•$225,000 sponsors (3) full-time Fellows through 2025.
LSPC Executive Director Paul Briley, a 2019 Fellow, describes the program as a powerful vehicle for helping people who are coming home from jail and prison return to their communities as an asset and not a liability.