Jay Vasquez

During the “superpredator” hysteria, J Vasquez was transferred to adult court and sentenced to 31 years to life at just 16 years old. J was repeatedly told that he would never get out of prison. In spite of these challenges, J earned six associate degrees with honors, two certificates in Alcohol & Drug Studies, co-founded a peer mentoring program for incarcerated young people, created curriculum for two dozen self-help workshops, facilitated multiple self-help programs, and volunteered as a staff writer for the prison newsletter. J served 25 years and was eventually released by the Parole Board. Upon his return, J worked two part-time jobs while going to school full-time. In 2021, J graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology and minor in Criminal Justice Studies from San Francisco State University and was selected as the hood recipient for the College of Health & Social Sciences. J is a FICPFM Organizing Fellowship Alumnus and a Willie L. Brown Jr. Fellowship Alumnus. J is currently the policy & legal services manager at Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice where he works on criminal and juvenile justice legislative policy changes through statewide coalition campaigns. J is a certified healing circle keeper and a subject-matter expert (SME) in prison conditions and gangs. He has lent his expertise in several court cases. His work has contributed to the passage of Senate Bill 2 which established a process to decertify police officers who commit serious misconduct, Assembly Bill 118 which created a statewide pilot program for community-based alternatives to police regarding emergency responses for non-criminal situations, Senate Bill 203 which protects Miranda rights for 16 and 17-year-olds, Proposition 17 which restored voting rights for 50,000 Californians on parole, Senate Bill 567 which ensures due process for people receiving aggravated prison terms, and the defeat of Proposition 20 which would have dramatically increased mass incarceration in California. In addition, he’s worked on campaigns to restore visiting as a right for incarcerated people (AB 990), end excessive juvenile probation terms (AB 503), increase resources for community-based juvenile justice crime prevention programs (SB 493), and abolish CDCR collusion with ICE who seek to deport people who have already served their time (AB 937). J also helps families support their incarcerated loved ones through Board preparation and Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing (PIR).