California\u2019s criminal justice system looks different in a very tangible way compared to when Gov. Gavin Newsom took office seven years ago.<\/p>\n
It has fewer prisons<\/a> thanks to a dramatic decline in the number of people the state is incarcerating. It\u2019s directing more resources to rehabilitation programs. And, at the prison that used to hold death row, incarcerated people are able to see the San Francisco Bay from a new education center<\/a> that\u2019s meant to help them prepare for life outside.<\/p>\n That raises the question, will the next governor continue Newsom\u2019s emphasis on rehabilitation for incarcerated people or move in a different direction?<\/p>\n CalMatters recently hosted a panel discussion on what\u2019s next for criminal justice<\/a> in California that included Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman, Heidi Rummel of the Post-Conviction Justice Project and Dave Lewis, a longtime corrections department leader who oversaw facilities planning and construction for state prisons.<\/p>\n CalMatters reporter Joe Garcia moderated the panel. He is a formerly incarcerated journalist who was represented at the parole board by Rummel. <\/p>\n In different ways, each panelist has a hand in providing justice to crime victims and shaping opportunities for people in prison who want to grow.<\/p>\n \u201cThe power of hope really can move mountains and I\u2019ve seen it in so many people I\u2019ve worked with,\u201d said Rummel, who has represented incarcerated people in parole hearings. She favors policies that provide incentives for prisoners to pursue rehabilitation and earn a chance for freedom.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is my firm belief that there are many people in our prisons trapped there because of 1980s sentencing regimes, honestly racist sentencing regimes, who could be safely released,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Hochman took office last year after defeating progressive prosecutor George Gasc\u00f3n. Hochman\u2019s victory was seen as a vote for tougher sentences<\/a> as a result of voters\u2019 frustration with crime after the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n He stressed that the system must provide a sense of justice and retribution to crime victims, although he said that does not necessarily hinge on lengthy prison sentences.<\/p>\n