Back to the Start

We are excited that our Executive Director Dr. Jenny Espinoza will be a panelist at this special event on Thursday, October 15 at 7PM. Redemption Time is a 70-minute multimedia concert film that weaves together the stories and work of two formerly incarcerated artists: the celebrated poet Jimmy Santiago Baca and renowned violinist Christian Howes.

This event will be featuring poetry written by our program participants at San Quentin, led by Marin Poet Laureate and Back to the Start Advirosy Board Member Francesca Bell. In addition to the film screening, the evening includes a panel discussion focusing on the redemptive power of the arts and community. Panelists include Manuelito Biag from , Dr. Jenny Espinoza from , Ali Moss, and Rabbi Paul Shleffar.

The Theatre has set up a promo code for 10% off up to 4 tickets. Use REDEMPTION10 at checkout.

SHOW LINK: https://www.presidiotheatre.org/show-details/redemption-time

✨Priority Bill Passed!✨
We are thrilled to share that AB 1969 has passed! Thank you to Author Asm. Mia Bonta and the bill Sponsor, End Child Poverty California, for bringing forward this issue an investing in ending poverty for children and families in our communities. AB 1969 will reduce child poverty and increase economic mobility for children and famlies who are disproportionally affected by intergenerational poverty.

Visit our website at https://www.backtothestart.org/ to learn more about our other legislative priorities. 📣

✨Priority Bill Passed!✨
We are thrilled to share that SB 1009 has passed! Thank you to Author Senator Josh Becker and the bill Sponsors, California Youth Defender Center, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, and Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), for bringing forward this issue an investing in our children's future. SB 1009 will requires courts to consider less restrictive alternatives before ordering detention—reinforcing the longstanding principle that detention remain “the exception, not the rule.”

Visit our website at https://www.backtothestart.org/ to learn more about our other legislative priorities. 📣

✨Priority Bill Passed!✨
We are thrilled to share that AB 1659 has passed! Thank you to Author Asm. Rhodesia Ransom and the bill Sponsor, Alameda County Office of Education for bringing forward this issue an investing in our children's education. AB 1659 will ensure students exiting juvenile have adequate support as they transition from the court school during detention and back to their home school district upon release, closing a gap in the current transition process.

Visit our website at https://www.backtothestart.org/ to learn more about our other legislative priorities! 📣

We are thrilled to share program co-lead Curtys Taylor's op-ed on the importance of social-emotional learning in schools has just been published in the San Diego Union Tribune!

In this piece, he uplifts that when a child is living in survival mode, it is difficult to focus on learning. That is why we are disappointed by the rejection of AB 1851 which would have standardized trauma-informed programming and support in California. "My struggle with learning did not start at school. It started at home,"writes Taylor. We are hopeful that this bill will be reintroduced and will pass during the next legislative cycle; showing legislators and the public that bills targeting upstream solutions can change children's lives.

📲 Read Curtys Taylor's op-ed here: https://www.backtothestart.org/post/see-curtys-taylor-s-op-ed-on-social-emotional-learning-in-schools

Our Summer 2026 newsletter is live! In this edition, we reflect upon a summer of growth and solidarity. From collaborative film screenings to coalition lobby days to our prison childhood narrative workshops, we are grounded in the belief that everyone’s story is important and has the power to build a better future by helping us to see our common humanity.

Read our this edition at https://www.backtothestart.org/post/summer-2026-newsletter and sign up for our newsletter to stay connected! 📬

Policy Update 📣
Our priority bills are going to the governor's desk, but they have not been enacted into law yet! Please visit our website at https://www.backtothestart.org/advocacy-legislation to learn more about our legislative priorities and find template letters of support to send to Governor Gavin Newsom‼️

✨Policy Highlight✨
"That is why SB 1009 matters to me. A young person can do something wrong and still be a child worth saving. When there is a safe alternative to juvenile hall, California should choose the path that keeps a young person connected to family, treatment, education, and community. We shouldn’t wait until a kid becomes an incarcerated adult to finally ask what could have been done differently," says Jessie Milo. SB 1009 would ensure that juveniles are given the least restrictive appropriate environment and would reduce the use of confinement in the juvenile justice system by prioritizing noncustodial dispositions while awaiting court hearings.

🔗 Visit our website at https://www.backtothestart.org/advocacy-legislation to learn more about the bill and what YOU can do to support!

✨Policy Highlight✨
This excerpt written by a Back to the Start program participant (S.S.) is a harrowing testimony to the mental costs of facing gun violence in one's youth. AB 2247 would provide funding for youth survivors and witnesses of gun violence to receive free, timely mental health and counseling services regardless of immigration status or prior/current involvement with the juvenile justice system.

🔗 Visit our website at https://www.backtothestart.org/ to learn more about the bill and read program co-lead, Jessie Milo's, Op-Ed in the LA Times about the importance of AB 2247 📣