Category: News Page

Organizing Updates

CCWP IS HIRING A STATEWIDE COORDINATOR!

SUBMIT RESUME AND COVER LETTER BY – 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

TO:   ccwp.hiring@gmail.com

Job Opening: STATEWIDE COORDINATOR

40 hr./week position with full benefits

The person in this position needs to live in California and be able to travel as needed to different parts of the state. The position is primarily remote except for in-person travel.

CCWP is a grassroots abolitionist organization, with members inside and outside prison, that challenges the institutional violence imposed on women, transgender people, and communities of color by the prison industrial complex (PIC).

We are looking for a passionate, formerly incarcerated/systems impacted person who can coordinate the development of CCWP’s new statewide Hub structure. As a result of the growth of our organization over the past several years and the release of more people from women’s prisons in California who live in different areas of the state, CCWP is initiating a new structure which will promote the establishment of CCWP Hubs in additional areas such as the Central Valley, Inland Empire, and San Diego. Historically CCWP has been based in the Bay Area and in Los Angeles.

The Hubs will engage in local activities that are connected to CCWP’s mission and statewide programs.  Possible local activities would include welcome home gatherings for formerly incarcerated people, connecting formerly incarcerated people with local re-entry resources, providing court support and participatory defense resources to people in local jails, and working with local elected officials to advance criminal legal reform work on a local level.

The coordinator will be responsible for supporting the development of new Hubs through statewide outreach, processing applications for new Hubs, liaising with Hub point people and ensuring the ongoing interconnections between the Hubs, CCWP’s Coordinating Committee and the statewide organization.  The Hub coordinator will work closely with CCWP’s membership coordinator on building out the Hubs.

The coordinator will also be responsible for the coordination of CCWP’s Across the Walls prison legal visiting program at CCWF and CIW. All of CCWP’s work is guided by people inside women’s prisons and legal visits are an essential part of our work. Our legal visits are conducted by legal assistants with the guidance of CCWP’s  supervising attorney. The prison visiting coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the scheduling of legal visits in conjunction with the team leads for CCWF and CIW. They will also help train new legal assistants, ensure the maintenance of electronic files for the people whom we visit and provide guidance for prison visit follow-up. They will work with the Writing Warriors correspondence team to ensure coordination between these two main programs in which CCWP provides communication and advocacy with people in women’s prisons.

Black, Latinx and other People of Color who are formerly incarcerated or loved ones of incarcerated people are strongly encouraged to apply.

CCWP’s Mission, Goals and Programs.

We are looking for someone who shares:

  • Excitement about supporting the expansion of CCWP’s programs and organizational structure in new areas across the state, anchored by formerly incarcerated people.
  • Commitment to supporting a robust prison legal visiting program that can advocate strongly for people incarcerated in CA women’s prisons.
  • Commitment to working with a wide variety of people inside and outside of prison, prioritizing the communities most impacted and inclusive of all those who want to work in solidarity with impacted people and communities.
  • Interest in the full range of CCWP’s programs and willingness to participate in a range of activities such as public speaking, representing CCWP at conferences, and involvement in other short-term initiatives.
  • Willingness to work in a non-hierarchical collectively oriented organization with a small staff and an extensive volunteer network.

 Responsibilities

  • Anchor the development of CCWP’s new Hub structure, including but not limited to statewide outreach, processing applications for new Hubs, liaising with Hub point people and ensuring the ongoing interconnections between the Hubs, CCWP’s Coordinating Committee and the statewide organization as a whole.
  • Maintain a comprehensive overview of people working with CCWP in different areas of the state and encourage formation of new Hubs.
  • Develop, in conjunction with the Hubs, a database of allied organizations and other resources in different areas of the state.
  • Serve as each Hub’s point of contact with CCWP’s Coordinating Committee.
  • Ensure that Hubs fulfill their responsibilities to CCWP and that CCWP organizationally fulfills its responsibilities as outlined in the Hub structure proposal.
  • Maintain an overview of CCWP’s prison legal visiting program, including but not limited to who has been trained as a legal visitor, clearance dates, legal visit schedule, and legal visiting folders.
  • Schedule legal visits, process clearances and ensure follow-up by legal assistants on action items from their visits.
  • Conduct periodic trainings for onboarding new legal assistants and updating all legal assistants on new laws and CCWP program development.
  • Liaison with the Writing Warriors (WW) program by attending meetings of the WW mentorship group and the bimonthly full Writing Warriors group.
  • Participate in CCWP’s leadership body, the Coordinating Committee.
  • Attend monthly CCWP statewide meetings.
  • Work closely with CCWP staff, members, interns and Advisory Board.

Qualifications

  • Experience organizing with systems impacted people inside and/or outside of prison.
  • Experience doing outreach to people and organizations about issues related to the criminal legal system.
  • Familiarity with the California prison system, its structures and procedures.
  • General familiarity with prison visiting procedures in California preferred.
  • Interest in building organizational structure and willingness to think creatively in order to develop new structures.
  • Ability to use computer platforms such as Zoom, Google Sheets and Google Docs efficiently and to learn new ones in order to maximize efficiency and coordination.
  • Ability to work independently.
  • Comfortable working flexible hours, possible travel, working via phone and computer, and keeping in consistent communication with colleagues in other parts of the state.
  • Dedication to cultivating leadership skills in oneself and in others.
  • Strong writing and other communication skills.
  • Comfortable with a collective, non-hierarchical organizational structure.
  • Commitment to mutual accountability, teamwork and collectivity.

Annual salary: Starting salary $76,000 with increase after three month successful completion of orientation period. Full package health benefits, vacation and sick leave from the start of employment.

 TO APPLY: SEND RESUME AND COVER LETTER DESCRIBING YOUR RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND WHAT INTERESTS YOU ABOUT THE POSITION BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 TO:

ccwp.hiring@gmail.com.

Organizing Updates

RESENTENCING ADVOCATE FELLOWSHIP

Dear CCWP Community,

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Resentencing Advocate Fellowship, a transformative collaboration between the CA Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) and Unapologetically HERS (UAHERS). Building off the success of UAHERS’ Participatory Action Research Leadership Program (PARLP) and its comprehensive “Pathways to Freedom: A Toolkit on the State of Resentencing at Central California Women’s Facility,” CCWP has promptly acted on internal recommendations to establish Paid Peer Support Positions.

These positions, filled by our inaugural fellows Carmel Murphy and Amber Bray, are designed to disseminate critical information about resentencing options and provide comprehensive training and support. Our fellows will guide community members through the complexities of the resentencing process—from identifying the appropriate legal forms, navigating court procedures, to achieving successful outcomes. This project underscores our commitment to empowering the CCWF community, ensuring every individual is equipped with the necessary tools and resources to pursue their path to liberation.

Our Inaugural Fellows – 

Carmel Murphy has dedicated 19 years to legal education and mentorship, helping others achieve freedom and sentence reductions. With her deep commitment to community service and her goal to become a defense attorney, Carmel is a beacon of hope and transformation within the community.


Amber Bray is an exceptional advocate with over 28 years of experience in the legal field, starting her journey while incarcerated. She obtained a paralegal degree and has actively contributed to legal reforms and resentencing successes. Amber is also the chairperson for the inmate advisory council, advocating for women’s rights and restorative justice.

Joining them in fostering the growth and development of the fellowship are:

Angela Zuniga, our esteemed Peer Mentor, brings her invaluable experience and insight to provide continuous support and guidance to our fellows. Angela is a PARLP alumna and her role is crucial in ensuring the success of our fellows and the overall impact of the fellowship.

AE Bio Pic 2023.jpeg

Aminah Elster, CCWP Leadership/Executive Director of UAHERS, will be serving as the Fellowship Coordinator, overseeing the program’s execution and ensuring that our fellows receive the best possible training and development opportunities. Her leadership is key to the smooth operation and strategic direction of the fellowship.

The fellowship includes a comprehensive year-long training program focusing on:

  • Monthly Scenario Exercises – Targeted exercises on legislative processes, legal research, and community engagement.
  • Weekly Peer Coaching and Check-ins – Continuous learning and support sessions guided by our peer mentor.
  • Quarterly Reviews – Assessments to integrate learnings and refine future strategies.

We are enthusiastic about the potential of this fellowship to challenge and transform how we engage in inside/outside organizing. We invite you to join us in supporting Amber, Carmel, Angela, and Aminah in their impactful work.

Women's Prisons

AS INMATES SWELTER, CALIFORNIA PRISONS REMAIN UNPREPARED FOR EXTREME HEAT

L.A. Times

Hayley Smith
July 13, 2024

The potential heat-related death of a prison inmate in California’s Central Valley this week is focusing renewed attention on conditions within correctional institutions as extreme heat, wildfire smoke and flooding pose increasing threats to incarcerated people.

Read more from the 

Though extreme heat endangers residents throughout the state, experts say California’s prisons are uniquely unprepared for climate change because of a variety of factors, including their remote locations, aging infrastructure and overcrowding.

Many facilities are not equipped with central air conditioning, updated ventilation, shade structures or backup generators to power fans and other cooling devices during outages, according to a 2023 report by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

Read more from the L.A. Times.

CCWP In the News

Incarcerated Women Plead for Help After Central Valley Prison Death Amid Extreme Heat

By: Brian Krans

The Madera County coroner’s office is investigating the death of a woman imprisoned at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla over the weekend as temperatures continue to reach into the triple digits.

California Coalition for Women Prisoners, an advocacy group for incarcerated women, said the woman suffered from heat-related illness after she had become incoherent and collapsed in a shower while trying to cool off.

“It was heat exhaustion,” CCWP said in a statement, quoting a fellow inmate who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal. “She dropped to the ground and her legs started shaking and wouldn’t stop.”

Read more from KQED.

CCWP In the News

‘Like an oven’: death at US women’s prison amid heatwave sparks cries for help

The Guardian

 in Los Angeles

July 9, 2024

An incarcerated person at California’s largest women’s prison has died amid a brutal heatwave that has left prison occupants without air conditioning begging for relief and warning of dire consequences for their health.

A woman in the Central California Women’s Facility, located in the Central valley city of Chowchilla, died on Saturday as temperatures in the region climbed above 110F (43.3C). The California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), an advocacy group, said it appeared the woman suffered a preventable heat death. The woman’s daughter told the Sacramento Bee that her mother had complained about the physical toll of the summer weather for years.

Mary Xjimenez, a spokesperson for the state corrections department, said in an email that the woman was transported to a medical facility on Thursday and died on Saturday and that the “death appears to be the result of an ongoing medical condition and not heat-related, but will be determined by the coroner’s office”. Tyson Pogue, the local sheriff-coroner, said it was too soon to say whether the death was due to heat and his office would conduct an autopsy.

News of the death comes as more than 146 million Americans were under extreme heat alerts across the nation, leaving people incarcerated in aging prison facilities without air conditioning particularly vulnerable. There have been reports of potentially fatal conditions inside jails and prisons during heatwaves across California and in Nevada, Illinois, Texas, Florida and other states this year.

The Chowchilla fatality has escalated fear and panic throughout the prison, advocates and incarcerated people said. The cells in the overcrowded facility, which houses more than 2,000 people, lack air conditioning, and occupants said officials have failed to provide enough cold water and other supplies that would alleviate their suffering and reduce heatstroke risks.

“Please help us, they’re not doing anything for us,” Trancita Ponce, a Chowchilla resident, said in a statement shared by the CCWP. “There is hot air blowing inside of our rooms, I have a huge migraine and I feel sick and other girls are throwing up.”

Another CCWF resident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told the Guardian she’s been struggling with nausea and headaches, and that she had a thermometer in her area that recently showed it was 103F (39.4C). After residents’ complaints, the facility gave out ice water on Tuesday, but residents were only given two cups each, she said: “I’ve seen people passing out. This is inhumane … You feel like you’re dirt, like you’re nothing. If we were animals, they’d be treating us better.”

Elizabeth Nomura, state membership organizer for the CCWP, who has been in contact with Chowchilla residents, said the facility has swamp coolers meant to lower temperatures in the cells, but that they weren’t working properly – an issue documented by the Modesto Bee during a period of extreme heat last year.

“My friend said, ‘Help us, we can’t breathe,’” said Nomura, who was previously incarcerated at Chowchilla. “I’ve had heatstroke before [while incarcerated] and I know what it feels like to be so dehydrated that you can’t see. They are sitting in a room, toasting in what feels like an oven. They’re all suffering.”

Nomura said the death in the institution created a “dark cloud” for residents: “It brings that harsh reality forward for so many – that they could very well die in prison. Everyone in there is frantic, locked in these death chambers. It’s nothing short of cruel.”

Xjimenez said each state prison has a “heat plan coordinator” who monitors conditions and temperatures, and that housing units have some form of “cooling relief”, typically evaporative coolers and fans. During extreme heat, prisons will sometimes provide additional access to air-conditioned areas and increased access to water and ice, she said, and when temperatures exceed 90F (32.2C), some vulnerable residents are moved to air-conditioned rooms.

At Chowchilla, staff are providing ice water to all residents and “industrial floor fans” are cooling the housing units, she said.

“The California department of corrections and rehabilitation is closely monitoring the current heatwave and is coordinating with our state partners and the leadership in each of the state’s 32 prisons to ensure there are appropriate resources and response,” she said in a statement. “We are paying special attention to medically vulnerable incarcerated people, and will be providing additional water, ice, cooling areas, and information to our staff and incarcerated population on ways to prevent heat-related illnesses throughout this heatwave.”