According to Schools Not Prisons, women of color with mental health conditions in Los Angeles County jails and California prisons are exceptionally vulnerable to medical neglect and abuse that violates domestic civil rights law and both regional and international human rights law.

What needs to be done!

1. End immediately the medical neglect and abuse of incarcerated women in LA county detention facilities by:
2. Increasing incarcerated women's access to physical and mental health professionals.
3. Eliminating the over-and-under medication of incarcerated women with mental health concerns.
4. Eliminating over-reliance on psychotropic drugs and making alternative therapies available for the treatment of incarcerated women with mental health conditions.
5. Eliminating the solitary confinement of incarcerated persons with mental health conditions.
6. Increasing incarcerated women's access to basic hygiene products, including sanitary pads and tampons.

Visit dignityandpowernow.org to learn more!

Here are a list of just the few of many organizations that work with incarcerated communities through advocacy, policy, legal assistance, reentry support, and activation power and dignity for people inside:

• Initiate Justice
• California State University's Project Rebound
• Justice L.A.
• Court Watch LA
• Dignity and Power Now
• National Lawyers' Guild of Los Angeles
• Schools Not Prisons
• Homeboy Industries
• Root & Rebound

Recent updates:

Assembly Bill 1310, The Equal Chance Act, passed the Senate Public Safety. Its next stop is Senate Appropriations!

Backed by Assemblyperson McKinnor, it aims to make SB 620 retroactive, giving currently incarcerated people with a firearm enhancement a chance to be resentenced.

Assembly Bill 581, the PATH (Providing Access to Healing) Act, is onto the Senate Floor!

Backed by Assemblyperson Carrillo, the bill will standardize the process across all prisons for program providers to visit institutions and reduce barriers to entry.