Tikkun Tikvah is a statewide campaign of California Reform congregations confronting a criminal justice system that wastes taxpayer dollars, treats people as if they were disposable, and disproportionately punishes people of color. It is also a campaign for full voter participation by those who have been excluded from the ballot box. In this campaign we are guided by words of Torah: “You shall commit no injustice in judgment; you shall not favor a poor person or defer to a great man; you shall judge your fellow with righteousness” (Leviticus 19:15). We want to work together for a criminal justice system that acts from righteousness for the benefit of all.
Reform CA is supporting Proposition 57, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act, a sentencing reform measure that will be on the California ballot November 8, 2016. This measure would:
- Authorize parole consideration for people with nonviolent convictions who complete the full sentence of their primary offense.
- Encourage completion of rehabilitation and education programs by people with nonviolent convictions by offering the possibility of earning time off for good behavior.
- Ensure that more teenagers are tried as juveniles by returning to judges, instead of prosecutors, the discretion as to whether teenagers are tried as juveniles or adults.
To pass this ballot measure, we need to educate our communities about sentencing reform and partner with congregations of color to make sure that those who would be most affected by the measure – young people, low-income people and people of color – turn out to vote on November 8.
We remember the words of the Torah’s holiness code: “You shall commit no injustice in judgment; you shall not favor a poor person or respect a great man; you shall judge your fellow with righteousness” (Leviticus 19:15). Proposition 57, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act would take important steps toward ensuring that our criminal justice system acts from righteousness.
For more information on this campaign, sign up for a special, statewide Reform CA webinar on July 13 at 7:00pm PT.
Sign up to be part of the campaign here.
Click here for more information about Proposition 57, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act.
