Sacramento, CA — Today at the State Capitol, Assemblymember Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-San Diego) announced a visionary legislative package aimed at transforming California’s youth justice system. The package includes three bills—AB 1279, AB 802, and AB 785—that collectively promote fairness, accountability, and opportunity for young people entangled in the justice system.
“Justice must reflect the possibility of growth, not just the weight of a mistake,” said Dr. Sharp-Collins. “These bills are about second chances, equity, and a fundamental belief in transformation.”
AB 1279 eliminates the practice of using juvenile adjudications—often made without the right to a jury trial—as “strikes” to enhance adult criminal sentences under California’s Three Strikes law. The bill also provides a process for individuals currently serving enhanced sentences based on juvenile strikes to petition for resentencing. “These are not adult convictions, and yet they carry adult consequences,” said Dr. Sharp-Collins. “We must acknowledge the difference between a 14-year-old’s mistake and an adult’s crime. AB 1279 restores fairness to a deeply flawed system.”
AB 802 addresses the crisis of hunger in juvenile detention centers. It mandates that youth facilities meet basic nutritional standards and creates systems of accountability to ensure compliance. Dr. Sharp-Collins highlighted troubling reports from facilities like those in Los Angeles, where food shortages have led to violent conflicts. “If we’re serious about rehabilitation, we must start with dignity—and that includes food,” she said. “Hunger has no place in California’s juvenile justice system.”
AB 785, part of the California Legislative Black Caucus’s “Road to Repair 2025” initiative, establishes the Community Violence Interdiction Grant Program. This program will redirect savings from future prison closures into community-based violence prevention programs, including youth diversion, school health services, and trauma-informed care. “We are often told there’s no money for what works,” said Dr. Sharp-Collins. “This bill changes that—investing in healing over harm, prevention over punishment, and justice that actually works.”
Together, these bills form a comprehensive approach to youth justice—one that reimagines the system through the lens of equity, science, and hope. “When we invest in young people,” Dr. Sharp-Collins concluded, “we invest in a safer, more just, and more compassionate California.”
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