Call on California to close ALL Youth Prisons!
WHAT:     DJJ Youth Prison Closure Vigil & Press Conference
WHEN:     Thursday, July 31, 2008
WHERE:     Meet at our office in Oakland at 8:45 am for transportation.

The vigil location is:
DeWitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility
7650 South Newcastle Road
Stockton, CA 95213-9003

RSVP Now: http://www.ellabakercenter.org/?p=bnb_july_31_2008_vigil

Next week, California's abusive, expensive youth prison system will be 25% smaller! Join us as we mark the closing of two prisons and call for the remaining facilities to be replaced with humane, effective rehabilitation centers.

July 31st is the official closure date for DeWitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton and El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility in Paso Robles. We're excited that California's youth prison system is shrinking, and that prisons which for years have failed to rehabilitate our youth are closing. But we're not going to stop until all the youth prisons are closed!

Please join us as we commemorate this historic event and call on California to invest in truly rehabilitative centers for youth. To highlight the violence, abuse and neglect that youth still face in the remaining prisons, we're holding a vigil near the DeWitt Nelson facility on Thursday, July 31st. We'll hear from lawmakers, recently released youth, family members, and community leaders.

Thank you for joining us as we work toward a system that lifts people up instead of locking them down.

With hope for justice for families,
Zachary Norris
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights