Last week, the California State Senate approved a bill that could reduce the penalty for simple possession of drugs, which according to the ACLU of California will “significantly reduce” the cost of incarcerating these low level offenders. The new legislation, SB 649, will allow counties to spend incarceration savings on programs to aid those seeking to re-enter the workforce post-conviction.

Equal Rights Advocates knows that women and men coming out of jail face serious barriers to finding work. SB 649 will help the countless women with low-level possession convictions in California (a large portion of incarcerated women) become contributing members of society. Letting these women work is critical to their economic security and the economic security of their families. Read more about ERA’s campaign to remove those barriers here.

“We are happy that the Senate had the good sense to pass SB 649.  The bill will help many of California’s women to access community-based programs that will help them successfully reenter society and get jobs to support themselves and their families,” Munro said.

To read more about laws aiming to help those with conviction histories re-enter society, read this recent New York Times article.

To read more about SB 649, sponsored by the ACLU and other groups, click here.

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