Criminal Law & Justice Center

We are hiring!

📢 We're hiring a Program Coordinator! The Criminal Law & Justice Center at Berkeley Law is a hub for research, education and advocacy. Blending a data-driven approach with zealous advocacy, we bridge the gap between scholarship and real-world impact. We're looking for an organized, creative colleague to help run the Center day to day. In this role, you will: • Coordinate events for students, practitioners and alumni • Create content for our social media, website and newsletter • Manage operations and financial processes Full-time career position with UC benefits | Up to one day per week remote | $36.42 to $39.85 per hour 📅 First review date: November 11, 2026. Apply by then for full consideration. 👉 Link to apply in the comments. #Hiring #BerkeleyLaw #UCBerkeley #CriminalJustice #HigherEdJobs

We are proud to join a coalition of organizations across the county to raise awareness on Life Without Parole (LWOP) sentences this October 24th, the first inaugural National LWOP day. Did you know that life without parole functions as death by incarceration? Tens of thousands of people spend 30, 40, or 50 years behind bars without ever receiving a single opportunity to appear before a parole board - regardless of personal transformation or decades of positive impact. Demanding second looks does not minimize harm or bypass accountability. True accountability requires years of rigorous, transformative work; extreme sentencing simply ignores that transformation when it happens. 🕊️🌱 This is why our Resentencing Project focus on extreme draconian sentences like LWOP. Since our inception just two years ago, we are proud to have helped resentence 7 individuals previously given LWOP, and are representing 2 others hopefully on their way. Please support our Center so we can continue to do this important work. Donate today!

Check out Staff Attorney Andrea Crider’s latest op-ed on pretrial services in Alameda County: https://lnkd.in/g33RmHtB

Sexual misconduct remains a persistent threat in California prisons due to inadequate data, reporting barriers, and investigative failures. A July 2026 report titled From Compliance to Prevention identified systemic deficiencies within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation CDCR processes. The findings were supported by testimony from state officials and correctional leaders regarding the reporting, investigation, and prevention of abuse. To address these shortcomings, the report proposed twenty recommendations. These encompass enhanced data transparency, independent investigative protocols, and robust protective measures for incarcerated individuals. https://lnkd.in/gyc5qXu6

KQED's "The California Report" featured our September 1st conference, "Accountability in Action: PREA Compliance, Institutional Response, and Reform in California's Male Prisons," speaking with formerly incarcerated community activist and conference speaker Darnell Washington about why sexual violence persists in men's prisons, and what needs to change. Thank you, Darnell, for sharing your story. This work continues. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g7jcvgKN #PREA #CriminalJusticeReform #CLJC

Accountability in Action: PREA Compliance, Institutional Response, and Reform in California's Male Prisons. That was the focus of yesterday's convening, where we brought together CDCR leadership, the Office of the Inspector General, formerly incarcerated advocates, and researchers to confront a hard truth: passing a federal PREA audit doesn't mean abuse is being prevented. A massive thanks to our partners at Amend at UCSF for the report presented at the event, which offered 20 recommendations for reform, from independent complaint screening to better public data. Read more from Davis Vanguard's coverage: https://lnkd.in/gyc5qXu6

Felony murder laws let people be sentenced to life — or death — for a killing they neither intended nor carried out. New research shows who's hit hardest: young people, people of color, and women who were often themselves victims of abuse. Read the full report by The Sentencing Project: https://lnkd.in/gQ9bjdHd

 On July 21, 2026, CLJC staff attorney Rio Scharf joined a The Marshall Project panel on the dangers of extreme heat in prisons, jails, and ICE detention centers. Rio was joined by journalist Maurice Chammah, Dr. Ufuoma Ovienmhada, and Dr. Susi Vassallo for a critical conversation covering: 🌡️ Why incarcerated people are uniquely vulnerable to soaring temperatures 🏥 The serious medical toll of heat behind bars ⚖️ The state of national litigation challenging extreme heat conditions — including ongoing cases in California, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri As climate change drives temperatures higher each year, this is an urgent and often overlooked human rights issue. Watch the full recording here: https://lnkd.in/dakYX4JK #ExtremeHeat #CriminalJusticeReform #PrisonReform #ClimateJustice #HumanRights #ICEDetention

Another article covering the Right2Hug case was featured this weekend in SFGate, courtesy of Bay City News Service, featuring CLJC's staff attorney, Rio Scharf. Read the full article below! #CriminalJusticeReform #FamilyLaw #Right2Hug https://lnkd.in/gmYhTquP