BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Some community members are pushing for change to California’s Three Strikes Law, saying it unfairly punishes people for mistakes made in their youth.
Video shows
- A new proposal, Assembly Bill 1279 — known as the Pathways to Justice bill — seeks to prevent juvenile offenses from counting as strikes in adult felony cases.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
With California's three strikes law for those who get incarcerated some locals in the community are trying to get a bill passed for what they say is justices for juvenile offenders.
Jaubrae Dixon, "Me being a youth offender I know how it is to have my past record used against me in adulthood."
Dixon raised by a single mother wanted to find a sense of community and a connection to his father.
Dixon tells me,"I was learning about him the negative was glorified and so as I was at that pivotal age trying to search for an identity and I ultimately found the streets."
Court records show that in 2014, Dixon was charged with attempted murder and four other felonies.
He took a plea deal and served 9 years, pleading no contest to assault with great bodily injury.
During that time, Dixon met his mentor in prison, Stefan Evans.
Dixon say's at the time Evans was remorseful for his crimes and made a positive impact on his life as
Dixon says his last words to him were. "The impact I had in your life goes on and passes that impact on to the next person. So I picked that up as a mission and that's how changes came into to be because of that impact he had on me with that message."
Now Dixon mentors Evans son, Stefan Jr. Evans through his no profit c.h.a.n.g.e.s as he wanted Evans Jr. to have the connection to his father he never had.
Stefan Evans Jr. shares, "For him to come and mentor me is me getting to know him and my father to because there's a lot of stuff that he knows that I don't."
Dixon now advocates for Assembly Bill 1279, known as the Pathways to Justice bill.
It aims to modify the Three Strikes Law by preventing prior juvenile adjudications from being used as "strikes" for sentencing enhancements in adult felony cases.
Dixon claims,"Using strikes that were accumulated as an adult to and further enhance their time as an adult essentially your saying that your going to judge a person according to what they did in their past."
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
