Assembly Members Santiago and Quirk, and Los Angeles District Attorney Gascon Pass Juvenile Three Strikes Reform Bill through the Assembly Public Safety Committee

(Los Angeles) – Assembly Member Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon celebrated the passage of AB 1127 through the Assembly Public Safety Committee. AB 1127 will reform the juvenile Three Strikes law in California and help fight mass incarceration. The bill eliminates juvenile three strikes, thus fighting prison overcrowding by preventing these juvenile strikes from counting toward future sentencing enhancements.

“California passed a milestone toward ending mass incarceration and creating a juvenile justice system focused on rehabilitation,” said Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, lead author of AB 1127. “When someone is convicted of an adult strike, California counts juvenile strikes as a first adult strike. This leads to harsher punishments and longer sentences. Our juveniles are not even old enough to go to prom, yet with juvenile strikes, we are punishing them like adults. With AB 1127, we can have more rehabilitation and less incarceration.

“I am excited to learn that we are one step closer to getting this bill passed in the California Legislature,” said Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. “This bill enhances public safety by reducing recidivism. It also increases equity by reducing mass incarceration and the disparate impact that juvenile strike laws have on people of color.”

“California is one step closer to ending the punitive practice of sentencing youth with  juvenile strikes,” said Miguel Garcia, Advocacy Coordinator at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. “I applaud Assemblyman Santiago, lead author of AB 1127. Unfortunately, I still carry a juvenile strike long after my obligations to the state and my community. Our youth justice system must now focus on a public health approach to rehabilitation and ensure that youth of color receive their fair share at redemption.”

“Somehow we lost sight of the purpose of juvenile court. That purpose is rehabilitation, not punitive and harsh punishments,” said Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward). “One of the main reasons is that data has shown us that the brain of juveniles is not fully developed and they process decision making differently than adults. We know that harsh punishments, like three strikes, disproportionally and unfairly impact juveniles of color. AB 1127 seeks to, finally, set us back on the right course and ensure our courts focus on helping juveniles rehabilitate.”

California’s Three Strikes law, born out of America’s “tough on crime” era affects how adults are sentenced after being convicted of a serious or violent felony, commonly referred to as a “strike”. The sentence of any future strike can be doubled, and a conviction of a third strike could result in life in prison.

A juvenile strike should not count the same as an adult strike, especially because juvenile delinquency proceedings and criminal proceedings differ in juveniles not being entitled to a trial by jury, and undergoing court proceedings focusing on rehabilitation, not incarceration. Thus, juvenile strikes should not be used for the punitive purpose of enhancing future adult felony convictions.

AB 1127 will ensure that no juvenile strike can count as an enhancement in any future adult felony. The bill will be heard before the Assembly Appropriations Committee in May.

Assembly Member Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance and Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Los Angeles County Homelessness. He also sits on the Assembly Committees on Public Safety, Health, Higher Education and Utilities and Energy. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.